09th December 2020 - Cairo, Egypt
To mark International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD), UNODC and the Administrative Control Authority of Egypt (ACA) —with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) — are organizing a two-day country-specific workshop for Egypt, aimed at safeguarding sport from corruption and preventing the manipulation of sports competitions.
International Anti-Corruption Day is commemorated annually on 9 December in recognition of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which was adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2005. This year’s commemoration of IACD marks 15 years since the Convention came into effect.
The fight against corruption is one of the most defining struggles of our generation, increasingly on the agendas of world leaders, policymakers, and sports associations. Corruption does not only threaten democracies but develops a culture of mistrust and mistreatment, calling into question the legitimacy and credibility of institutions.
Discussions about corruption in sports are not new. Corruption in its various forms continues to be the greatest threat to sports, with serious direct and indirect consequences to everyone involved in the industry — and beyond.
The hybrid workshop is taking place over 9 and 10 December 2020 and brings together more than 60 participants. The training opportunity raises awareness about the varied corruption risks posed to sports and highlighted effective measures to tackle these challenges in Egypt.
The first day of the webinar served as a welcome occasion to commemorate IACD, also highlighting various facets of corruption risks in sports; including tackling corruption linked to the organization of major sporting events as well as countering corruption through good governance in sports.
Ending on a positive note, the first day concluded by a showing of good practices and examples to follow in tackling corruption in sports.
The last day of the workshop will focus on the manipulation of sports competitions. It will also underline the significance of detection, cooperation, prosecution, and sanction of corrupt parties.
Delivering the opening remarks, Ms. Cristina Albertin, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa, stressed that “To address the complex, transnational and multidimensional problem of corruption in sport, it is necessary that key actors such as governments and sports organizations work together to develop effective cooperation frameworks with a view to tackle the problem.”
The ACA Representative at the event expressed their appreciation to UNODC and underlined that the webinar provided Egyptian counterparts with an opportunity to learn more about the risks of corruption in sports.
