Integrisport Erasmus+
Awareness raising seminar organised in Slovakia


On 23 and 24 September 2020, a professional seminar for the international project IntegriSport Erasmus+ was held in Bratislava, virtually welcoming over 50 participants, focusing on the prevention and fight against manipulation of sports competitions (match fixing) from the perspective of law enforcement, sport, policy and sports betting both nationally and internationally. The seminar for law enforcement authorities was organised by the National Crime Agency of the Police Force Presidium, in co-operation with CSCF- Foundation for Sport Integrity, under the direction of the international project, IntegriSport Erasmus+.
The manipulation of sports competitions is currently described as one of the most serious threats to sport, as it fundamentally undermines the values of integrity and the principle of fair play. This negative, transboundary social phenomenon cannot be controlled and eliminated unless the initiatives are actively developed and coordinated at global level. The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, with its concept of establishing national platforms, contributes to this effort and to the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant public authorities, including law enforcement agencies and organizations active in the field of sport and sports betting.
The primary aim of the IntegriSport Erasmus+ project is to strengthen prevention and render more effective the detection and prosecution of crimes related to the manipulation of sports competitions, such as corruption, fraud and money laundering. This international project also benefits from the cooperation of partner police forces and judiciaries in Finland, Hungary, Portugal, Cyprus, Lithuania and the Netherlands, who have also organised or planned IntegriSport seminars aimed at raising awareness of the integrity of sports competitions and addressing the negative aspects of their manipulation. The project is managed by the CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity and implemented together with the international partners of IntegriSport Erasmus+: the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), EU-Athletes, University Aix-Marseille and the Council of Europe, the supporting partner of IntegriSport Erasmus+.
The professional level of the seminar was assured by invited representatives of the CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity, EU-Athletes, GLMS and law enforcement agencies from European Union member states, who presented their contributions by videoconference, due to current safety precautions. At the seminar, the Slovak Republic was represented by prominent experts from: the Ministry of the Interior (the National Crime Agency of the Police Force Presidium), the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (the Sports Section), the Ministry of Finance (the Office for the Regulation of Gambling), the Anti-Doping Agency and the organizations operating in the field of sports and sports betting, such as the Slovak Football Association and the NIKÉ, LLC. In his opening speech, Colonel Dr Attila Zajonc PhD, from the National Crime Agency of the Police Force Presidium, emphasised: “Police practice confirms that the ways of committing crimes related to the manipulation of sports competitions are changing dynamically, developing in accordance with modern information and means of payment, and the perpetrators are adapting to new conditions and technological possibilities, to which we must respond offensively.”
Law enforcement agencies play a key role in combating the threats of manipulation of sports competitions and their results. The conceptual intent of organising a seminar within the IntegriSport Erasmus+ project reflected the needs of police practice, with an emphasis on streamlining the exchange of knowledge, sharing best practices and strengthening the capacity of police forces to detect and investigate manipulation and integrity violations.
At the end of the seminar Norbert Rubicsek J.D., former Lieutenant Colonel and now director of CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity and Project Manager of IntegriSport Erasmus+, emphasised in his speech: “The effective prevention of and fight against the manipulation of sports competitions is conditional on raising awareness of the integrity of sports competitions and streamlining mutual co-operation and the exchange of information between law enforcement authorities and organisations active in the field of sport and sports betting at national and international level”.
More information about the project can be found at:
The manipulation of sports competitions is currently described as one of the most serious threats to sport, as it fundamentally undermines the values of integrity and the principle of fair play. This negative, transboundary social phenomenon cannot be controlled and eliminated unless the initiatives are actively developed and coordinated at global level. The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, with its concept of establishing national platforms, contributes to this effort and to the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant public authorities, including law enforcement agencies and organizations active in the field of sport and sports betting.
The primary aim of the IntegriSport Erasmus+ project is to strengthen prevention and render more effective the detection and prosecution of crimes related to the manipulation of sports competitions, such as corruption, fraud and money laundering. This international project also benefits from the cooperation of partner police forces and judiciaries in Finland, Hungary, Portugal, Cyprus, Lithuania and the Netherlands, who have also organised or planned IntegriSport seminars aimed at raising awareness of the integrity of sports competitions and addressing the negative aspects of their manipulation. The project is managed by the CSCF-Foundation for Sport Integrity and implemented together with the international partners of IntegriSport Erasmus+: the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), EU-Athletes, University Aix-Marseille and the Council of Europe, the supporting partner of IntegriSport Erasmus+.
The professional level of the seminar was assured by invited representatives of the CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity, EU-Athletes, GLMS and law enforcement agencies from European Union member states, who presented their contributions by videoconference, due to current safety precautions. At the seminar, the Slovak Republic was represented by prominent experts from: the Ministry of the Interior (the National Crime Agency of the Police Force Presidium), the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (the Sports Section), the Ministry of Finance (the Office for the Regulation of Gambling), the Anti-Doping Agency and the organizations operating in the field of sports and sports betting, such as the Slovak Football Association and the NIKÉ, LLC. In his opening speech, Colonel Dr Attila Zajonc PhD, from the National Crime Agency of the Police Force Presidium, emphasised: “Police practice confirms that the ways of committing crimes related to the manipulation of sports competitions are changing dynamically, developing in accordance with modern information and means of payment, and the perpetrators are adapting to new conditions and technological possibilities, to which we must respond offensively.”
Law enforcement agencies play a key role in combating the threats of manipulation of sports competitions and their results. The conceptual intent of organising a seminar within the IntegriSport Erasmus+ project reflected the needs of police practice, with an emphasis on streamlining the exchange of knowledge, sharing best practices and strengthening the capacity of police forces to detect and investigate manipulation and integrity violations.
At the end of the seminar Norbert Rubicsek J.D., former Lieutenant Colonel and now director of CSCF – Foundation for Sport Integrity and Project Manager of IntegriSport Erasmus+, emphasised in his speech: “The effective prevention of and fight against the manipulation of sports competitions is conditional on raising awareness of the integrity of sports competitions and streamlining mutual co-operation and the exchange of information between law enforcement authorities and organisations active in the field of sport and sports betting at national and international level”.
More information about the project can be found at:
- www.integrisport.org, www.cscfsport.com
- Twitter: @Integrisport, @CSCF_Integrity
- Facebook: @Integrisport
- Instagram: integrisport_erasmusplus






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