Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports FINCIS coordinates the Fair Competition programme, which is part of the responsibility programme covering the entire Finnish sports community. The Fair Competition programme includes the anti-doping programme and the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions programme. By adopting the programmes, sports stakeholders outline and commit to jointly agreed measures for fair competition.
Manipulation of sports competitions is a detrimental phenomenon that can have long-term impacts on sports and sports organisations. Different forms of competition manipulation can be difficult to detect, and it is therefore important that sports stakeholders have common measures defined in the Fair Competition programmes to combat the phenomenon, for example through training or communication. The prevention of manipulation of sports competitions is a key part of FINCIS’ activities.
Sports organisations’ programmes for the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions as part of the Fair Competition programme
Sports organisations are required to commit themselves to the Fair Competition programme by issuing their own the anti-doping programme and the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions programme. FINCIS evaluates the organisations’ programmes and their implementation and reports them to the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The evaluation is taken into account when making decisions on sports federations’ state subsidies.
In its programme for the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions, the sports organisation, for its part, commits itself to a common goal, namely the prevention of competition manipulation. The sports organisation’s own values form the basis for the programme, and the objectives and supporting measures revolve around these values. Each organisation’s programme is different, taking into account the special characteristics of the sport, the number of participants and the circumstances.
Fair Competition programmes are confirmed by the governing board or other decision-making body of the sports organisation. The organisation will then implement the programme with the measures of its choice, for example by actively communicating measures related to the programme. The programme should also be reflected in the organisation’s action plan and annual report.
FINCIS has established criteria for Fair Play programmes (12/2021), designed to help organisations plan and implement their own programmes for preventing the manipulation of sports competitions and anti-doping programmes. FINCIS helps organisations prepare successful programmes, and it has agreed to comment on the programme of each organisation within two weeks of receiving it for review. Programmes can be submitted to the FINCIS Communication Manager for comments. FINCIS evaluates the organisations’ programmes and their implementation and reports them to the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.
Sports institutes’ programmes for the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions
Sports institutes have long worked to promote clean sport, with the support of the anti-doping programme included in the Clean Win (Puhtaasti paras) sports institutes programme. In the future, sports institutes will also expand their activities in the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions and create their own prevention programme to support this work.
Sports institutes play an important role in the training of athletes and sports stakeholders, serve as training places for top athletes and as meeting places for the international sports community, and it is therefore important to extend their common measures to the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions.
Sports academies’ programmes for the prevention of manipulation of sports competitions
Sports academies are committed to the jointly agreed measures for fair competition under the Finnish Olympic Committee’s Fair Competition Programme. In accordance with the Olympic Committee’s programme, each sports academy has programme implementation instructions that specify measures against manipulation of sports competitions as well as measures for anti-doping work.
Sports academies play an important role, for example, in education and communication. FINCIS, in co-operation with the sports academies that were part of the pilot group, has issued guidelines for the preparation of sports academies’ instructions. According to the guidelines, sports academies are to emphasise preventive measures. Each sports academy’s instructions can take into account the special characteristics related to its activities and the region.
FINCIS’s guidelines cover measures related to education, communications and contracts. The measures chosen by the sports academy from the guidelines must be reflected in the sports academy’s annual clock. The implementation of the plan is monitored annually as part of the sports academy’s operational evaluation.
