The National Sports Confederation Welcomes the Swedish Government’s Bill Against Match-Fixing

The Swedish Sports Confederation has for a long time worked to strengthen the work against match-fixing. Now the issue has taken an important step forward in the form of the government submitting a bill in the gaming market area.

On December 20, the government submitted a bill to the Riksdag regarding measures to ensure a healthy and safe gambling market. It is, for example, about stronger tools for sports as well as other actors, including better opportunities to manage and share information about suspicions of match-fixing. Among other things, more space is given for collaboration with information between sports federations and betting companies. The government also proposes requirements for gambling companies to submit information about suspicions to the Swedish Police and that the Gambling Inspectorate should be given a clearer and stronger role in the operational cooperation.

“The legislation in its current form is pointless and we have long called for a tightening. We now see that our pressure has produced good results. Better and more effective tools in the fight against match-fixing are a must. From the side of the sports movement, it is therefore welcome that the government has tabled this bill and that the issue is moving forward,” says Björn Eriksson, chairman of the National Sports Confederation.

Match-fixing, illegally altering or influencing the outcome of a sports competition in order to benefit or profit for oneself or others, is a growing threat to sports. In recent years, several cases of manipulated sports results, and betting on these results, have come to attention. Match-fixing is often staged by criminally charged people who want to launder money or make money. –

“Match-fixing is an evil that must be fought. Competitive sport is hard work, excitement, fighting spirit, skill and not infrequently a dose of luck. Manipulating competition results goes against the sports movement’s fundamental values of fair play and fair competition. It is nothing we want to know about in our movement,” says Björn Eriksson.

The Swedish Sports Confederation (RF)

The Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) is the umbrella organization for the entire Swedish sports movement. RF’s main task is to support and represent our 71 member federations (special sports federations) and lead the movement in common issues, both nationally and internationally. SISU Sports trainers is the sports movement’s own study association that offers public education to sports associations to give knowledge and power to people’s thoughts, ideas and desires to develop. RF-SISU’s 19 regional organizations, and RF-SISU districts, provide sports associations with support in sports matters and with public education. The sports movement consists of approximately 19,000 sports associations and just over three million members.

SOURCE: The Swedish Sports Confederation (RF).