Assignment 2: Policy Development

Analysis of National Policy on Match-Fixing in Sport

Prepared for: Christian Duperouzel Submitted: 17th November 2011 Word Count: 1443

Prepared by: Luke Lehmann 1533542

Luke Lehmann, Student No. 15335425, Sport Organisation Law & Policy (BLS220)

Table of Contents
1. Introduction.1

2. Description of Issue....1

3. Ideology......2

4. Policy Structure...2

5. Policy Operation.....3

6. Recommendations...3

7. Conclusion..4

List of References...5

INTRODUCTION In recent times, sports fans have witnessed a number of unfolding scandals relating to matchfixing in a number of sports. Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, all recently received jail terms for their part in bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lords Test against England in 2010. With high profile cases such as this now taking up columns within the sport section of newspapers, the controversy of match-fixing has become a great threat to the integrity of sport. Match-fixing refers to when matches are played to a pre-determined outcome. Therefore, any manner of manipulation or a contingency by involved parties (e.g. athletes, administrators, officials, coaches or supporters) by intentionally fixing results, teams underperforming deliberately, misapplication of rules by officials, abuse and acquisition of insider information to manipulate bets, translates to gross misconduct. The issue of match fixing is not something new, however, with the now prevalent nature of sports betting, it is little wonder that the issue has become a serious problem. In Australia alone, as of 2008-09, the sum of $230 million was gambled on sports (Productivity Commission 2010). It also estimated that $US140 billion is gambled in the international illegal sports betting market (Reynolds 2011). Corrupt sports betting and gambling activity by athletes, coaches and other stake holders has forced the Australian government, both at a Federal and State/Territory level, to address the issue of match-fixing by enacting the National Policy on Match-Fixing in Sport. DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE Sports fans in Australia, and all around the world, expect fair play and sportsmanship in whichever sport they follow. Fans have little interest in watching a competitor or a team win on the account that the outcome has already been scripted. Sports at all levels have the potential to harbour corruption, which can flow from match-fixing. This is motivated either for financial or other personal gain. These gains may provide a cause for involved parties to influence sporting fixtures. If left ungoverned, this may devalue and destroy the integrity of sports. Sport has, more than any other cultural practice, the capacity to unite Australians and has been a key feature of Australias development (Stewart et al. 2004, 5). It is in light of these culture-threatening issues that a national policy on match-fixing has been developed and adopted to help curb corruption in the sporting industry. The expectation of the policy is to maximise confidence from the public, and ensure fair play is adhered to in all competitions of sport. It also expects all Australian governments to work in partnership with sporting

Luke Lehmann, Student No. 15335425, Sport Organisation Law & Policy (BLS220)

organisations and betting agencies to ensure Australian sport integrity is preserved and protected from all manner of corruption arising from match-fixing. IDEOLOGY The ideology of sport has always been that of fairness, integrity, respect and equity of all who participate, such as athletes, administrators, officials, coaches and supporters. However, nothing undermines these ideals more so than match-fixing. Sport is known for being a contest between individuals or teams with an outcome that is not predetermined. It is a challenge of skill, abilities, desire and effort. When individuals agree to affect the outcome of a game in advance, sport is robbed of all that is good about it. It is important that all participants in sport feel that the integrity of the game is unequivocable. However, the problem may have a scientific explanation based on psychology. Some individuals possess a higher urge of achieving than others. These are the individuals who could manipulate results, bribe match officials or offer handsome rewards to opponents to gain for financial or personal reasons (Oxford Research A/S 2010, 21). In order to keep the ideology of sport intact, the Australian government has recognised that to curb corruption in sport, new legislation must be in place to punish those that are found guilty of bringing their game into disrepute. POLICY STRUCTURE Developing a coherent sports policy is an important and necessary function of government (Delaney and Madigan 2009, 248). If this were not the case, sporting organisations may produce weak or poor policies, or not have a policy in place at all in which to govern their organisation. Australian authorities have a major role and to address the problems with match-fixing. To achieve this, the National Policy on Match-Fixing in Sport has been created, and plans are under way to implement this at all levels of sport, be it at national or state level. The policy contains very clear-cut purpose, stipulations, principles and roles of the involved participants (i.e. Australian governments, sporting organisations, players, player agents, support personnel, officials and betting agencies). It is easy to understand what the policy wishes to achieve. The policys statement is articulated in a clear and concise manner. The main aim of the policy is to reassure the public that the integrity of sport remains intact. It achieves this by clearly stating the key roles and responsibilities of all Australian governments, sporting organisations and betting agencies. Also, the Australian government hope that this policy will provide other nations with the structure to combat match-fixing at the international level. The background information provides the context and an overview of the issue being addressed, allowing the reader to have a better understanding as to why a

Luke Lehmann, Student No. 15335425, Sport Organisation Law & Policy (BLS220)

policy is being implemented. The context of this policy provides the reader with a comprehensive insight into match-fixing, and its affect on sport. It supports this with a definition of match-fixing, how match-fixing is not limited to professional or high-profile sports and how fraudulent and illegal betting causes the undermining of sport. The policy outlines the objectives and goals it is seeking to achieve for each participant involved. Within this policy, the objectives and goals are detailed accordingly under three main sections: Role of Government, Role of the Sporting Organisations and Role of the Betting Agencies. The structure and layout of the policy is well organised into clear and logical sections, has a clear hierarchy of information, uses informative headings with each section written in short paragraphs and it adopts a clear and user friendly design. The policy benefits from its use of clear, succinct and unambiguous language. POLICY OPERATION Currently, existing criminal legislation across Australia is inconsistent and does not specifically deal with corruption in sport (McMillen 2001), however, this policy intends to address this issue by applying nationwide legislative agreements to ensure that there is consistency across all Australian governments. This policy, if implemented correctly, will be quite effective in deterring and preventing match-fixing in sports across Australia. There is likelihood that if managed well and controlled by all involved participants, that it will have the desired outcome. As corruption does not necessarily recognise international boundaries, there is scope that this policy will also help on the international level by creating a code of conduct and a body to combat corruption (National Policy 2011, 2). Already, the Australian Federal government has expressed positive remarks and says that good progress has been made on the introduction of a nationwide policy made to curb corruption in sport (Arbib 2011). Therefore, this policy stands a high chance of being effective in the effort to minimise match-fixing in Australian sport. Consequently, positive changes are expected judging by the endeavour that Australian government and the sporting community has put into this policy. RECOMMENDATIONS The policy, as it is, is quite easy to understand with a simple layout and construction. It clearly stipulates the context, purpose and role of every party involved. However, more strict measures need to be included in the policy so it is seen as being committed to its cause. As the policy is only in its infancy, it does not stipulate the level of penalty for each offence. It needs to address what fines or bans are to be handed out to athletes caught corrupting their sport. It may also be desirable to provide a dedicated whistle-blowing hotline or a clear

Luke Lehmann, Student No. 15335425, Sport Organisation Law & Policy (BLS220)

communication channel for any participant to report instances of match-fixing in their sport (Carpenter 2011, 10). In addition, adequate support must be addressed for smaller sports to ensure they comply with this policy, this will allow them maintain integrity within their sport. CONCLUSION The Australian government, in conjunction with sporting organisations and betting agencies, have done a remarkable job in proposing this policy to nullify match-fixing in sport. Although the policy is relatively new, the response from the public and the sporting community has been quite positive. Once this policy is fully implemented, it is hoped that corruption behaviours in sport will end. If the stipulated legislation and regulations are met, Australian sports fans will be able to enjoy their sport without the fear that the outcome has already been manipulated. It is every individuals duty to ensure that this policy becomes a success story.

List of References
Arbib, Mark, interviewed by Naomi Woodley. 2011. Arbib says national match fixing policy

Luke Lehmann, Student No. 15335425, Sport Organisation Law & Policy (BLS220)

a step closer, AM with Tony Eastley, October 1, http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3330209.htm Carpenter, Kevin. 2011. Match Fixing The biggest threat to sport in the 21st century?. http://www.lawinsport/index.php/articles/anti-corruption/2092match-fixing-the-biggest-threat-to-sport-in-the-21st-centurypart-1 (accessed 31 October, 2011) Delaney, Tim, and Tim Madigan. 2009. The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. Inc. McMillen, J. 2001. Sportsbetting: The biggest risk of all?. In Culture and the Gambling Phenomenon: The proceedings of the 11th National Conference of the National Association for Gambling Studies held in Sydney, Australia, 21-24 November 2001, edited by Alex Blaszczynski, 256-269. Sydney, N.S.W: National Association for Gambling Studies. National Policy on Match-Fixing in Sport. 2011. http://www.dpmc.gov.au/sport/funding/matchfixing/docs/national_policy_match-fixing.pdf (accessed 26 October, 2011) Oxford Research A/S. 2010. Examination of threats to the integrity of sports. www.eusportsplatform.eu/Files/Filer/examination%20of%20threats %20to%20sports%20integrity.pdf Productivity Commission. 2010. Gambling Productivity Commission Inquiry Report Volume 1. Canberra, A.C.T: The Author. Reynolds, Jarrod. 2011. Match fixing clamp down. http://www.ourworldtoday.com.au/news/article/match-fixing-clampdown (accessed 17 November, 2011) Stewart, Bob, Matthew Nicholson, Aaron Smith, and Hans Westerbeek. 2004. Australian Sport: Better by design? The evolution of Australian sport policy. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.