Prevention of competition manipulation: athlete engagement at Milano Cortina 2026
The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games provided an excellent platform for awareness-raising activities among Olympians and their entourage on the prevention of competition manipulation. Throughout the various venues, the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) team, supported by athlete ambassadors, ran engaging and interactive educational activities.
At Milano Cortina 2026, more than 3,000 athletes, entourage members and officials were informed about the risk of competition manipulation and the rules in place.
A “Believe in Sport” booth was available in the Olympic Villages in Milan and Cortina, in the Athlete365 House. Participants were invited to “spin the wheel”, reply to questions, find out more about the topic and relevant rules, and win some goodies.
Naomi Bloetjes, Integrity Manager at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), had the chance to visit the booth in Milan: “The Believe in Sport booth was very well placed, and I was delighted to see so many ice hockey participants spending time, interacting with the OM Unit PMC staff and ambassadors to further understand the topic.”
Beyond athletes and entourage members, officials, sports administrators and IOC members also visited the booth.
After visiting the booth, Olympian and IOC Member from Slovakia Danka Hrbeková stated: “The booth was an excellent opportunity for athletes to understand in a fun way what the phenomenon of competition manipulation is all about. The positive energy of the athlete ambassadors and the OM Unit PMC staff at the booth made the experience even more engaging.”
In Cortina, athletes, entourage members and team administrators were also able to learn more about the rules in a gamified way and engage in discussions about the risks of competition manipulation. Many athletes already had a basic understanding of the topic, thanks to the awareness-raising activities carried out by their respective NOCs prior to the Games.
Zalina Marghieva, Secretary General and Chef de Mission (CdM) of Moldova NOC, commented: “The Believe in Sport booth offered athletes a moment to relax at the village, while learning about such an important topic. I encouraged my athletes in Cortina to pass by the booth and engage on an issue we take very seriously at the Moldova NOC.”
The NOC Integrity Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and CdM of Iceland NOC, Líney Rut Halldórsdóttir, also had the chance to visit the booth, and added: “Such activities are of key importance. I was happy to go through the full education myself as well, although knowledgeable about the topic, and found it very interesting and engaging.”