IOC hosted 12th meeting of Macolin Convention Follow-Up Committee
Key IOC-led discussions were held in early June at Olympic House in Lausanne, bringing global stakeholders together to strengthen cooperation, advance policy reform, and bolster the fight against competition manipulation.
Early June marked an important milestone to prevent the manipulation of sports competitions, with two key events on sports integrity held at Olympic House. On 4 June, the 12th meeting of the Follow-Up Committee on Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Committee) brought together 40 participants from governments, sports organisations, law enforcement and betting entities.
The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention) is a legal instrument and the only rule of international law on the manipulation of sports competitions. It requests that public authorities cooperate with sports organisations, betting operators and competition organisers to prevent, detect and sanction the manipulation of sports competitions. It proposes a common legal framework for efficient international cooperation to respond to this global threat. To date, the Convention has been ratified by 17 states and signed by 43. It is also open to non‑European countries, with Australia and Morocco having signed so far.
The IOC, through the OM Unit PMC, holds Observer Status at the Follow-Up Committee, representing the entire Olympic Movement.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry welcomed the members and Observers of the Follow-Up Committee on Manipulation of Sports Competitions, who met for the first time at Olympic House. Addressing the participants, the President said: “Protecting the integrity and credibility of sports competitions is of the utmost importance, and the Olympic Movement appreciates the collaborative approach that the Convention and the Macolin Committee specifically has developed. Through our dedicated Unit – the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions – we look forward to going on playing a key role in the field”.
Visit here the website of the Macolin Convention for further information.
On the eve of the meeting, on 3 June, a hybrid session of the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) Policy Working Group was organised at Olympic House to advance the consultations on the revision of the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Code PMC).
The meeting brought together individual experts with recognised policy, legal and regulatory expertise in the prevention of the manipulation of sports competitions. In addition to sharing knowledge and practices, the participants examined and reviewed proposed changes to the OM Code PMC as part of its periodical review. Over the past year, the group has met regularly online to support this revision process, and the Lausanne meeting provided an opportunity for more in-depth discussions on key policy issues. The review process is due to be finalised in 2027.