Strasbourg, 19/10/2012 - Drafting has begun on a possible Council of Europe Convention against manipulation of sports results and notably match-fixing. The Committee of Ministers invited the Organisation's enlarged partial agreement on sport 'EPAS' to launch negotiations early this year, with both member and non-member States of EPAS invited to take part in the negotiation and drafting process.

Why a convention? The problem of match-fixing is not only a sports issue, this is about fighting organised crime and corruption; beyond the manipulation of sports results, the protection of the core values of the 47 Council of Europe member states, especially the rule of law, is at stake. The new international convention would be a binding instrument open to both European and non-European countries aimed at suppressing the manipulation of sports results, which continues to grow across the world.

The Council of Europe is committed to playing a pioneering role in this subject, just as it did 25 years ago with the anti-doping convention, strengthening international cooperation and paving the way for worldwide action.

Recommendation CM/Rec(2011)10