IOC and International Federations strengthen joint efforts against competition manipulation

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been joined by International Federations (IFs) participating in the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina 2026, the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026, and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 to attend a recent meeting aimed at reinforcing sports integrity initiatives.

This gathering follows the success of a prior workshop held in 2023, emphasising the IOC’s commitment to transparency and ethical conduct in sport.

Organised by the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC), the meeting revolved around the current advancements within the Unit’s three core strategic pillars: regulation and legislation, awareness-raising and capacity-building, and intelligence and investigations.

Commenting on the importance of awareness in tackling threats to integrity, secretary general of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation, athlete ambassador and three-time olympian, Saulius Ritter said: “Being aware of a threat is the first step to avoiding it. The next necessity is to have the knowledge and tools to fight it.”

“Peer-to-peer communication is very impactful… it’s great to see our global network of athlete ambassadors growing in the run-up to Milano Cortina 2026, the Youth Olympic Games next year in Dakar, and LA28,” Ritter said.

Head of the OM Unit PMC, Friedrich Martens, added: “Their turnout and engagement during this workshop demonstrates that we have the IFs on board… The more we combine our efforts, the more we will be successful in safeguarding sports integrity.”

With the imminent arrival of Milano Cortina 2026, secretary general of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), Heike Grösswang, expressed the workshop’s value in refreshing knowledge and coordinating efforts with the IOC and other Winter IFs.

Discussions focused primarily on strategies for including National Federations (NFs) in sports integrity initiatives and enhancing the effectiveness of values-based education to counter unethical behaviour.

The engagement with key stakeholders has demonstrated significant successes in the fight against competition manipulation, with past initiatives yielding positive results.

At this recent meeting, participants contributed valuable insights aimed at fostering collaboration with NFs and had conversations around co-developing tools and campaigns in partnership with the IOC, designed to heighten awareness about the risks of competition manipulation among athletes, coaches, and referees as the events in Milano Cortina and Dakar approach.

The OM Unit PMC has also upgraded its ambassadors programme for the IOC’s Believe in Sport campaign, establishing two official groups of ambassadors: one comprised of those selected and managed by their respective NOCs or IFs, and another group appointed by the OM Unit PMC to bolster IOC-led activities.

Break-out sessions provided further opportunities for in-depth exploration of various topics, such as utilising IF communication channels for raising awareness, educating about existing regulations in engaging ways, and understanding the roles of athlete ambassadors.

Participants experienced the educational resources provided by the OM Unit PMC during major sporting events by visiting a replica of the educational booth aimed at preventing competition manipulation.

These meetings exemplify the IOC’s commitment to involving all stakeholders within the Olympic Movement in the ongoing effort to uphold the integrity of competitive sports.

Initiatives to prevent manipulation are spearheaded by the OM Unit PMC and supported by a recently allocated fund of USD$10 million (AUD$15 million) per Olympiad.

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