European Evening of Sports addresses Funding and Match Fixing

EOC EU Office
11/03/2013 14:07

The role of regulatory authorities and legal actions against corruption in sport are considered important by major stakeholders. In addition to match fixing, EU funding for sport beyond 2014, dual career schemes and the autonomy of sport belonged to the topics discussed at the third "European Evening of Sports" in Brussels on 27 February 2013. More than 300 participants from the world of sport, the European Union and governments attended two panel discussions with high-level representatives.      

 

Panellists Patrick Hickey, Bernd Neuendorf, the Secretary of State for Sport of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), Michael Ring, Irish Minister for Sport, Doris Pack, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education, and Jan Truszczynski, Director-General for the European Commission's section for Education and Culture, concurred in considering sufficient funding for sport in a specific chapter included in the future "Erasmus for All" Programme. Doris Pack and Michael Ring stressed their support for grassroots sport in particular and reiterated their commitment to increasing the budget.

 

Match fixing meanwhile was discussed by Claudia Bokel, IOC Executive Board member and Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission, Christophe De Kepper, IOC Director General, Harri Syväsalmi, Chair of the Council Expert Group on Matchfixing, and Friedhelm Althans, First Commissioner of the Police of Bochum (Germany). The panel emphasised the significance of the regulatory authorities and the necessity of installing appropriate legal provisions against corruption.

 

For more information on the EU's sport-political activities with regard to match fixing please visit ec.europa.eu/sport

 

Ed.: B. Weinberg