Sport must remain fair, safe and free from undue influence

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France's and Spain's men's national teams in 2024. The teams will meet again in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup in the US

Billions of people are watching. Billions of euros are being wagered. None of it counts for anything unless the integrity of the competition is guaranteed.

"The integrity and autonomy of sport are non-negotiable," said the Secretary General Alain Berset. "A competition must be played by the rules of the game, free from any manipulation or undue outside influence."

To each of these threats, the Council of Europe responds with an instrument.

How is the Council of Europe protecting your favourite sport?

Manipulation of competitions is the most insidious problem. For example, so-called "negative" bets are particularly vulnerable to manipulation, as a single player or a single action can be enough to influence a bet without necessarily affecting the final result of a match. The Council of Europe's Macolin Convention is the only binding international treaty which is designed to combat these abuses.

Doping, by contrast, is cheating to win. It distorts performance and undermines the level playing field for athletes. The Council of Europe's Anti-Doping Convention protects athletes' health and the ethics of the game. This is a signal treaty, in an area where there has been much abuse in the past.

Then there is what surrounds the match itself. Violence and hatred in the stands threaten the safety of spectators. Through the Saint-Denis Convention, the Council of Europe promotes an integrated approach to safety, security, and services so that stadiums remain places where people come together. When you go to a stadium in Europe, you can be reassured that it is this convention that underpins the practice of the club or tournament in question.

"Protecting sport from undue influence means assuring spectators that what they are watching is real. It also means defending a principle that reaches beyond sport. In a competition, as in a democracy, the same rule applies to all," the Secretary General stated.

As the sports movement faces increasing pressures from intensive commercialisation and geopolitical rivalries, the Council of Europe reaffirms its commitment to the autonomy of sport and is finalising an updated recommendation to its member States, advocating a coherent approach in line with its values.

Read more about the Macolin Convention

Read more about the Council of Europe's Anti-Doping Convention

Read more about the Saint-Denis Convention

Read more about the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport