Oct142017

Ensuring Russia’s readiness to meet its obligations as a signatory of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions

Russia
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The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions is aimed at combatting corruption in sport by improving state regulation of sports and betting organisations’ activities. There is a signed directive approving the plan of action to ensure Russia’s readiness to meet its obligations as a signatory of the Convention.

Proposed by the Russian Ministry of Sport.

The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sport Competitions (further, the Convention) is aimed at combatting corruption in sport by improving state regulation of sports and betting organisations’ activities.

The draft Convention was adopted at the meeting of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 9 June 2014. Russia approved the draft Convention by Government Directive No. 929 of 12 September 2014. The Russian Ministry of Sport signed the Convention in the name of the Russian Federation at the 13th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport on 18 September 2014.

A signed directive approved the plan of action to ensure Russia’s readiness to meet its obligations as a signatory of the Convention.

The plan envisages the preparation of draft regulations to bring Russian legislation in line with several provisions of the Convention.

In particular, it envisages amendments to the Federal Law On Physical Culture and Sport in the Russian Federation adding a regulatory standard identifying activities that are deemed to be manipulation of sports competitions; introducing the notions of “irregular bets placed on sports competitions”, “suspicious bets placed on sports competitions” and “inside information in physical culture and sport”; charging organisers of sport competitions with taking measures to prevent conflicts of interests and leaks of inside information; establishing a ban on the organisation of gambling at bookmaker’s offices and betting terminals for official youth sports competitions.

The authority to coordinate the implementation of the plan is delegated to the Ministry of Sport.