ClearingSport launches proposal for a new international entity to protect sports integrity

Sport is widely recognised as a public good, but it is increasingly under threat. 

In short, the explosive commercial growth of sports has created a largely unregulated industry that attracts and enables crime, corruption and other serious integrity breaches to flourish.

To push back the forces that jeopardise sport as a public good, Play the Game today releases a proposal from the ClearingSport project that lays the groundwork for an entity that could more effectively protect athletes and everyone else involved in sport from those who exploit it for personal gain.

“Over the past 10-15 years, we have seen countless resolutions, recommendations, rules and regulations to fight corruption, crime and abuse in sport, but there is far too little enforcement,” says Jens Sejer Andersen, senior advisor at Play the Game and coordinator of the ClearingSport project.

The proposal is presented in two formats:

• A short form aimed at stimulating public debate and political engagement
• A longer, in-depth analysis aimed at people working at an expert level

The proposal and other background material will be freely available at www.clearingsport.org.

Existing mechanisms fall short

The ClearingSport project observes that sport has increasingly become a target for crime and corruption due to the rapid commercialisation of the sector, insufficient regulatory frameworks, weak governance structures, the transnational nature of sports, and technological developments that constantly facilitate new forms of criminal activity.

The scale of the problem can be illustrated through figures like these:

• 340 billion to 1.7 trillion US dollars wagered annually on illegal betting markets
• 500 million to 1 billion euro betting-related match-fixing in European football each year
• 1.1 billion US dollars in estimated bribes to sports officials during the 2010s
• Up to 80 per cent of sports participants report psychological, physical, or sexual abuse during their careers

Concluding that current mechanisms fall short and leave significant gaps that allow crime and corruption to persist, ClearingSport’s proposal outlines four ways a new international entity could help close these gaps:

• To harmonise existing policies into universal minimum standards of integrity in sport, an international entity could coordinate existing networks to define and administer a collaborative framework.
• To monitor and apply the defined minimum standards outlined by the collaborative framework, an international entity could implement compliance mechanisms as a global regulator.
• To strengthen the protection of athletes and those who interact with sport, an international entity could bolster investigations, intelligence gathering, and other necessary steps by managing a reporting mechanism that offers full protection to whistleblowers and others involved in the investigative process.
• To ensure fair access to justice, an international entity could offer specialist services related to signposting, arbitration, and mediation as dispute management alternatives.

A thorough analysis of the state of play

Over the past 25 years, different actors have suggested a stronger coordination of efforts to address integrity issues in sport.

At Play the Game’s 2022 conference, experts called on Play the Game to revitalise the idea of an international entity for a range of integrity breaches in sport.

This led Play the Game to start the ClearingSport project, which builds it recommendations on extensive research, debate and consultation through 

• A 2023 survey of 200 leading experts across a broad range of stakeholders
• A series of online meetings in 2024-2025 with an advisory group of outstanding experts with experience from the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, WADA, EUROPOL, OECD, national law enforcement, athlete unions etc.
• Open debates at Play the Game conferences in 2022 and 2024 and other fora
• Literature reviews of sports governance and integrity
• Event history analysis to construct a timeline of key developments over the last 25 years
• Mapping of existing laws and regulatory frameworks affecting the field of sport and assessment of their effectiveness
• Stakeholder and network mapping to assess partnerships, initiatives and mechanisms both in and outside of sport
• Assessments off economic impact, to evaluate the costs associated with criminal and corrupt activity in sport

Better coordination is the way forward

While sports integrity has almost become an industry with numerous institutions and organisations involved, ClearingSport’s research shows that better coordination would make the different efforts more efficient. 

According to Jens Sejer Andersen, the process has also revealed growing frustration among professionals working to fight crime and corruption in sport.

“The impatience became clear when we circulated an online survey in 2023 to 250 experts. Almost 80% responded and delivered a total of 800 insightful and deeply engaging comments on how an international entity could improve the situation.”

Since then, Play the Game has taken the time to review the survey feedback in collaboration with the ClearingSport project’s advisory group to refine the proposal.

“We have carried out a thorough analysis of the state of play, identified key gaps in the fight against crime, corruption and other forms of integrity breaches in sport, and suggested how to fill those gaps,” Andersen says.

However, he emphasises that ClearingSport does not present an all-or-nothing solution, and he hopes that governments and sports organisations will engage in discussions on how to strengthen global integrity efforts.

“An independent entity would relieve sports organisations of many complicated tasks where they have inherent conflicts of interest,” he argues. “And governments also need to step up to the growing challenge.”

“Some politicians may be reluctant to confront such a beloved sector, while others see sports integrity as an area that is too resource-intensive and complex, which they would rather not get involved in. That's why we make it clear that there are also immense human and financial costs in not taking action.”  

Andersen also stresses that it is in no way Play the Game's ambition to become home to a new international entity to combat integrity breaches in sport.

“We have our hands full maintaining a home for the homeless questions in sport. But we will do whatever we can to ensure that the future process is in good hands and always remain willing to assist when needed.”