COC and CCES extend their collaboration to prevent competition manipulation in Canada and internationally by developing educational resources

TORONTO (November 17, 2023) – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) are proud to announce an extension of their partnership aimed at advancing their joint mission to protect the integrity of sport and the prevention of competition manipulation in Canada and internationally.

This collaboration will see the CCES update its free, online education course called “Understanding Competition Manipulation” to include the latest updates from the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competition as well as the development of a harmonized national policy.  

The CCES will first make the updated course available to athletes and support personnel participating in the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in January, followed by all members of Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 15-minute interactive course currently provides participants with an overview of what competition manipulation is, the risks of competition manipulation, and how to prevent it. 

Participants who take the course will come away with a better understanding of the rules around competition manipulation and sports betting which include: not betting on your own sport or sport on the program of a multi-sport Games in which you are taking part, not manipulating a competition, not sharing confidential information as well as the obligation to report any attempt to manipulate a competition.

In 2021, the CCES and the COC struck an exploratory working group on match manipulation composed of representatives from national and multi-sport organizations. The group’s focus was understanding the risks associated with competition manipulation in Canada and developing resources to protect the Canadian sport community, including a competition manipulation policy template for sport organizations.

Building on that work, the CCES and COC plan to extend their collaboration and work on the development of a harmonized national policy on competition manipulation and sport betting, for adoption by National Sport Organizations and Multisport Service Organizations.  

In 2021, Bill C-218 legalized single-event sports betting and instigated major changes to the domestic sport gambling landscape. With more betting comes an increased likelihood of match-fixing and other threats to athlete safety, which supports the need for Canada to implement protective measures. At the 2023 Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport, education and awareness were identified as critically important to help athletes and support personnel protect themselves and to recognize competition manipulation. The symposium was presented by the CCES and McLaren Global Sport Solutions, with support from the COC.  

About the CCES: 
The CCES works collaboratively to ensure Canadians have a positive sport experience. Through its programs, the CCES manages unethical issues in sport, protects the integrity of Canadian sport, and promotes True Sport to activate values-based sport on and off the field of play. The CCES is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization that is responsible for the administration of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. For more information, visit cces.ca, and follow us on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Peter Saltsman
Senior Manager, Public Relations
C: 647-382-6986
E: psaltsman@olympic.ca

Thomas Hall
Director, Communications and Media Relations
C: 514-709-1054
E: thall@olympic.ca