Phase A, Part 1

Phase A of the KCOOS project involves the desk research required to collect information on current practices and challenges and to develop educational tools for use at the various events over the course of the project. Final versions of these tools will be produced at the end of the project.

If you have not yet informed the Council of Europe of relevant national contacts for match-fixing within your country, please do not hesitate to contact us

 

Currently…

Part one of this phase is to gather information on the current status within national systems in the fight against match fixing and sports betting regulations via questionnaires targeted at various actors involved in this domain: public authorities, law enforcement, sports organisations, sports betting regulatory authorities and sports betting operators.  

This questionnaire, prepared by Oxford Research and the Council of Europe, has designed in reference to the terms of the Council of Europe Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions (STCE n°2015), adopted in 2014 and presently open to signatures and ratifications.

It underlines issues related to prevention, detection and sanctions of the manipulation of sports competitions, with a specific focus on legislative measures, exchange of information and cooperation.

The questionnaire will not include some questions with regard to betting (and notably risk assessment), as this survey is carried out in the framework of two other DG-HOME funded joint projects on match-fixing. Results will be shared with the KCOOS Secretariat in order to prevent duplication and enhance cooperation and collaboration.

 

Not just another questionnaire

The questionnaire will allow us to identify the progress made and the problems faced within the national system in setting up entities and measures to combat match fixing and to regulate sports betting. It will also allow us to review the collaboration between relevant stakeholders at national level and to identify and work on solving problems faced in this area. The results of the KCOOS questionnaire will be used for a number of purposes:

• Drafting a handbook on useful practices. This handbook is not aimed only at informing about good practices for setting up national platforms and regulatory authorities but will also aim to provide tips on how to tackle problems that are being faced currently or that are likely to occur. For this, filling in the questionnaire in a thorough manner is crucial.The handbook will be the basis for awareness raising and capacity building KCOOS activities (regional seminars and study visits) and will be updated after each event in order to provide a complete document at the end of the project in June 2017.
• Regional seminars will be held in September and October 2016, which aim to cover all the regions of the Council of Europe and EU countries. These 2 day seminars will build on what has already been provided in the questionnaire and look to tackle problems and identify possible solutions. It is also a step in encouraging exchange of information between the relevant actors at national and international level.
• Moreover, the results will help the Council of Europe to consolidate a database and sustain a network of national contacts which will be indispensable for the future implementation of the Convention.
• One of the priorities of the project is to establish a network of contacts for the national platforms; therefore we would be grateful if the body responsible nationally for setting up the National platform (currently or in the future) would please specify this within the questionnaire. This body will be contacted for follow-up purposes.

 

Follow-up

Following your replies to this questionnaire and the analysis of results, the KCOOS Secretariat and Oxford Research aims to contact countries based on your replies with follow up queries and in preparation for the Regional Seminars. The Secretariat will conduct a follow up and will also prepare more specifically synthesis before each regional seminar by contacting the countries to be involved.

 

Why you should want to participate

 This is your opportunity to participate in the development of a handbook and other educational tools that will be used by you and other Member States to continue to fight match fixing and sports manipulation through strong national and international cooperation and to tackle any challenges that you are facing.

If you are representative of one of the targeted actors, please do not hesitate to contact the KCOOS Secretariat as soon as possible if you have not already received the questionnaire!

 

The desk research phase in short

• Produce the theoretical background, tools, educational programmes which will act as the basis for future activities under the project.
• Research existing literature in the field, relevant authorities
• conferences, seminars, trainings, events, knowledge
• Create a questionnaire on good practices, handbook on good practices, educational programme on the convention, tools for seminars, study visits and expert missions, assist the Council of Europe in designing a self-assessment tool for public authorities, sport organisations, betting operators and national platforms on the implementation of various tools combating sports manipulation, resource book on legislation and literature, European mapping on achievements/work within Europe in this field.

 

Guidebook

The GUIDEBOOK ON UNDERSTANDING AND EFFECTIVELY COMBATING THE MANIPULATION OF SPORTS COMPETITIONS (KCOOS Guidebook) was developed during the Keep Crime Out of Sport (KCOOS) project that was co-financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The project’s various activities, research and networking resulted in a mass of information and notably the need for clarity on various aspects of practically tackling the manipulation of sports competitions.

The guidebook will be reshuffled in early 2018 to separate the chapters and new templates will be uploaded regularly. The first update will refer to practically setting up a national platform. Idea, suggestions and proposals are always welcome to enriching the online tool. Please contact us.

The first version can be found here

Main Chapters :

1. Introduction (The guidebook’s approach)
2. Understanding the Complexity of the manipulation of sports competitions (actors, nature, modus operandi)
3.  Actions to address manipulation of sports competitions (risk assessment, legislative framework, co-operation and coordination, sharing of information and intelligence)

Each chapter and sub-chapter has a section on guidelines, which will later be extracted into separate templates.