Taking note of growing incidents of corrupt practices in sports with deep links to the underworld and transnational organised crime networks, the CBI has dedicated one of the anti-corruption units as Sport Integrity Unit to probe corruption in the sporting world.
Apart from probing corruption in sports, the Unit will also coordinate with sports federations and will actively engage with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports so that a law dealing with corruption in sports is put in place at the earliest.Before dedicating the unit, sources said, the CBI has studied the dynamics of corruption in sports for the last six months by holding dialogue with various national and international stakeholders as also the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The CBI’s move comes in the backdrop of IPl match fixing row. Apart from illegal betting, match fixing, sports in India and beyond has also been marred by controversies over doping. The decision comes after agency’s officials held discussion with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Federation of Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
The objective of the Unit includes investigating and enquiring into matters related to sport frauds, combating malpractices in sports and coordination with sports federations and law enforcement agencies.The setting up of the unit has placed India among one of the few nations in the world to have dedicated unit set up as part of its federal investigative agency to probe sporting frauds.
Presently, only FBI, Australian Federal Police and a few other European countries have sport frauds as part of their areas of focus.The CBI plans to further strengthen the Unit and make a substantial contribution in the fight against malpractices in sports. The agency is seeking support from all the stakeholders in making the initiative a success.
The Unit will not only act as a repository of intelligence and data related to corruption in sports but will also act as a resource base and help other agencies in training and education regarding the menace of sports corruption including illegal betting and match fixing.
According to the understanding gathered by the agency, corruption in sports are financed and managed to a very large extent by the betting industry, both legal and illegal, with close links with worldwide crime syndicates.The Department of Sports under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is in the process of finalizing a Bill to criminalize sport frauds that will provide the much-needed teeth to various agencies to check such corruption.