The second edition of the International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) took place yesterday at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the initiative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IFSI is the main platform for all stakeholders to exchange ideas and coordinate actions. Discussions focused on future actions on two main strands:  strengthening the prevention of the manipulation of competitions and supporting ethical conduct and anti-corruption.

Building on the success of the first edition two years ago and representing another major step towards the realisation of Olympic Agenda 2020, the event, chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach, gathered together some 180 participants representing governments, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Council of Europe, the European Union, INTERPOL, Europol, sports betting operators, national regulating authorities, Olympic Movement stakeholders and other experts to collaborate on the protection of clean sport.

Top delegates from six European CNO participated in the forum – Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Portugal – while the EOC was represented by Head of the Brussels office Folker Hellmund and ANOC  by Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg, also IOC Executive Board Member, as well as UGur Erdener (TUR) and Segey Bubka (UKR).

“Today’s Forum also highlights how closely good governance is linked to the credibility of sport,” said IOC President Thomas Bach during his opening speech. “As the role of sport in society continues to grow, so do the expectations of the public with regard to the credibility of sports organisations. The standards of good governance are ever evolving for everyone of us,” he added.

“This is one more reason why we say that in an interconnected world, these issues and this mistrust affect us all. This is why, when we look back at the many initiatives that we have taken since our last meeting in 2015, we see just how important this open exchange and close cooperation is. Each of us here today has a very specific domain of responsibility. It is only through cooperation and partnership that we can be truly effective,” Bach outlined.

The outcome of the Forum is brought together in a Declaration which, amongst other commitments, outlines the establishment of an Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions and the launch of an International Sports Integrity Partnership.

The Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions will streamline related IOC initiatives and engage Olympic Movement stakeholders, including International Federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), athletes and their entourage more strongly.

The International Sports Integrity Partnership will help prevent the risk of corruption in sport, enable better cooperation between the key stakeholders and ensure a coordinated approach to the implementation of dedicated measures.