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IPACS fights corruption in sport all year round

While this day, organised by IPACS founding partner the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is an important opportunity to raise awareness on the threat of corruption across all sectors of society, IPACS is playing its part in the respective global efforts all year round. The partnership combines the expertise and experience of international sports organisations, governments and intergovernmental bodies to propose pragmatic solutions to fighting and preventing corruption in sport.

2024 highlights

As the year comes to an end, here are some action and advocacy examples from the last 12 months that showcase IPACS’ activities in this important field:

  • January: The Steering Committee approved the annual activity plan for 2024 in relation to advocacy, educational work and promotion, and approved the next steps to progress on its working areas, based on the three major IPACS priorities for 2024/25: good governance, cooperation between criminal justice, law enforcement authorities and sports organisations, and innovative methods, like the use of AI, in fighting corruption in sport.
  • February: As part of the IPACS awareness-raising activities, the mission and activities of IPACS were presented to the International School Sport Federation (ISF) during its Integrity Committee meeting. The ISF is the organiser of the biggest international grassroots and competitive events for school students aged from 11 to 18.
  • March: In close collaboration with IPACS, the IOC kicked off its webinar series designed specifically for IOC-recognised sports organisations, with the aim of reaching solid levels of good governance in sports organisations that will also benefit the athletes. The first themed session focused on transparency, checks and balances, and control mechanisms. The subsequent webinars covered the other thematic streams of the IPACS good governance benchmark.
  • April: A dedicated IPACS workshop held during SportAccord addressed the topic “IPACS Future Frontiers: AI”, featuring views and expertise on how to leverage AI to fight corruption in sport – both on the field of play and in organisational structures.
    During another workshop on good governance organised by the Association of IOC-Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) during SportAccord, IPACS presented its Sport Governance Benchmark, together with the updated Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance.
  • June: The second good governance webinar organised for IOC-recognised sports organisations focused on organisational integrity.
  • July: Just before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, IPACS took part in the 11th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting held on 24 and 25 July in the French capital. The ministers agreed to better cooperate to tackle corruption in sport and to collaborate with platforms such as IPACS.
  • September: The third good governance webinar organised for IOC-recognised sports organisations discussed democracy.
  • October: During the 7th IPACS Annual General Conference, IPACS athletes’ representative Oluseyi Smith reminded all partners of the importance of working with athletes and young people to educate them on the consequences of corruption, but also to involve them in promoting a culture of integrity within their sports.
    During the meeting, IPACS also approved the creation of a new Working Group, tasked with exploring the potential opportunities and risks of AI for fighting corruption in sport.
  • November: The United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution entitled “Sport as an Enabler of Sustainable Development”, which also highlighted the importance of fighting corruption in sport and noted “the efforts of the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) established in 2017”.
  • December: The final good governance webinar organised for IOC-recognised sports organisations will delve into development and solidarity. Based on the feedback received so far, the IOC and IPACS are considering offering a similar webinar series to other key stakeholders in 2025.

Background on the 2024 theme and how it links to sport

This year’s theme of Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity highlights the importance of fighting corruption for the benefit of future generations, but also of involving young people in these efforts. Lots of young people practise sports, and sport is therefore being used as a platform to pass on educational messages, convey values and life skills, and thus drive meaningful change. This can be done in a credible way only if sports organisations embrace integrity and respect the highest standards of good governance. IPACS works with all its partners to promote a culture of integrity across the Olympic and Sports Movement and prevent corruption, to create an environment where young people can thrive and achieve their dreams.