Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport

(Ottawa, Ontario – June 14, 2021) – In collaboration with sport partners, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) continue to advocate for protections that would safeguard Canadian sport from the risks associated with match manipulation and sports gambling. Building on a 2019 Symposium and White Paper that introduced the issue to Canadian sport, the CCES and COC created a new Exploratory Working Group and have testified in support of a new federal Bill to regulate single-sport betting in Canada.

Globally, an estimated $2 trillion is wagered on sport each year (The Economist, 2018), and an estimated $20 billion is wagered annually on events held in Canada. Despite this, the Canadian sport system currently offers few protections or harm-reduction measures for athletes and sport organizations against the growing threat to sport integrity and athlete safety associated with match manipulation. International models offer us guidance on how to reverse this trend.

Template Match Manipulation Policy Now Available

Building on the momentum from the 2019 Symposium on Match Manipulation and Gambling in Sport, the CCES and COC created an Exploratory Working Group on Match Manipulation in October 2020. Composed of representatives from national and multi-sport organizations, the group focused on understanding the risks associated with match manipulation and developing resources to protect the Canadian sport community, including a template Match Manipulation Policy for sport organizations (national and multisport) and education for athletes and support personnel.

The Exploratory Working Group is pleased to share the template Competition Manipulation Policy and educational infographic with the sport community. Over the coming months the CCES and the COC will also create an e-learning module to support the Policy. If your organization is interested in implementing this Policy, please reach out to the CCES at [email protected].  

The CCES and the COC thank the dedicated Exploratory Working Group members for their commitment to this initiative:

• Badminton Canada

• Canada Basketball

• Canadian Paralympic Committee

• Curling Canada

• Racquetball Canada

• Rugby Canada

• Soccer Canada

• Squash Canada

Save the Date

The International Olympic Committee has existing resources in this space, which can be accessed here and the sport community is invited to join a conference for the Americas on June 16 and 17, 2021. Register on the INTERPOL conferencing platform.

The CCES and COC will host a Match Manipulation Webinar on October 12, 2021, presenting the policy and next steps for its implementation. The sport community will also hear from expert guest speakers about match manipulation and the introduction of single event sport betting. Registration details will follow.

Bill C-218 - An Act to amend the Criminal Code

The CCES and the COC continue to support Bill C-218 ‐ An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sports betting), which recently passed the second reading in the Senate and has been adopted and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. If passed, Bill C-218 will legalize single event sport betting in Canada.

In March 2021, the CCES and the COC submitted a statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in support of the Bill which also stressed the importance to include measures to protect and safeguard athletes and support personnel from the risks of match manipulation. Based on this statement, Paul Melia, CCES president and CEO, and David Shoemaker, CEO and Secretary General of COC, were asked to testify to a Committee meeting on the Bill on March 24, 2021.

Following that, Paul Melia spoke to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce on June 4, 2021. We were pleased to see that committee’s third report for Bill C-218 includes an observation that encourages the federal government to sign the Council of Europe Conventions on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.    

• Read the CCES’s submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
• Stream Paul Melia and David Shoemaker’s statement to the Committee (begins at 11:09) or read the transcript
• Stream Paul Melia’s statement to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce (begins at 12:03.50)

About the CCES

The CCES is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization with a responsibility to administer the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. The CCES acknowledges funding, in part, from the Government of Canada. We are committed to making sport better by working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone.

About the COC

The Canadian Olympic Committee leads the achievement of Team Canada’s podium success and advances Olympic values across Canada. Independent and predominantly privately funded, the COC delivers the resources that Canada’s elite athletes need to perform at their best and give their everything every day. By sharing our athletes’ stories, we inspire all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

For further information, please contact:

Megan Cumming, Corporate Communications Manager
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
613-521-3340 x3233
[email protected]

Josh Su, Specialist, Public Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
647-464-4060
[email protected]  

Thomas Hall, Director of Communications and Media Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
514-709-1054
[email protected]