Integrity Multi-Stakeholder Workshop Ends in Abuja  

A two-day Integrity-In-Sport-Multi-Stakeholder-Workshop has ended in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with participants brought to speed on latest methods and techniques in combating match fixing and corruption in sports. 

The workshop, held at the Denis Hotel, was part of a global capacity building and training programme to assist countries to address the new criminal challenge posed by competition manipulation and other threats to the integrity of sport. The programme was also meant to foster collaboration between law enforcement agencies, the National Olympic Committee, National Sports Federations, public authorities, the betting industry and other actors involved in preventing the infiltration of crime into sport, particularly as related to competition manipulation.

At the workshop were officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Interpol, National Olympic Committee, Nigeria Football Federation (represented by the National Integrity Officer, Dr. Christian Emeruwa and Head of Legal Unit, Barrister Okey Obi), other sports federations, EFCC, ICPC and sports betting companies. The focus was on the development of a strategy to combat match manipulation within Nigeria and Ghana. 

The NFF was identified as the lead agency in the fight against match manipulation, based on its various activities in this area. The workshop enabled networking among sport entities and security agencies to elaborate on methods for combating corruption and match fixing in sport. 

Among the objectives of the workshop was the identification of key stakeholders needed for the development of a coordinated national approach in Nigeria and Ghana that protects the integrity of sport, development of knowledge and understanding of the global threat from competition manipulation and illegal/irregular sports betting, and identification of ways of preventing and responding to possible breaches of integrity by identifying key actions required to more effectively protect sport.

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