Tackling corruption in sport is possible, says the anti-corruption pressure group Transparency International (TI). The Global Corruption Report: Sport provides an overview of the root causes of corruption across sport and outlines evidence-based recommendationson what needs to be done to clean up sports.
The report stresses the need for greater participation of all those involved from the fans who buy tickets, the athletes who provide the entertainment to the sponsors and broadcasters who fund sports activities and the citizens of countries and cities that host big event.
The report covers political interference in Asian football, corruption trends in African sport, and corruption risks in the football transfer market and there are more than 15 country specific articles: labour rights in Qatar, the World Cup legacy and Olympics in Brazil, financing the Sochi Winter Olympics, following the World Cup money in Russia, political control of football in Hungary, governance of cricket in Bangladesh, ownership of football clubs in the UK and corruption in US collegiate sports.
The report: Sport detaild recommendations including:
Increased independent oversight in international sports governance.
Stringent and transparent criteria for eligibility, plus independent verification for all senior decision-making positions.
Increased financial transparency in all sports associations, the money they make and how it is disbursed, far beyond minimum legal requirements of host countries.
Citizen engagement in bids for major sporting events and the need for formal safeguards to stop corruption and all human rights, labour, environmental and social sustainability abuses.
The need for sponsors to promote integrity and hold sports organisations to the same standards that they apply to their supply chain.
Further exploration of the need for a global anti-corruption sports agency.
For a summary visit http://www.transparency.org/files/content/feature/ExecutiveSummary_Sweeney_GCRSport.pdf.
