IOC PRESS RELEASE: UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON SPORTS INTEGRITY ADOPTED

More than 400 leaders from the Olympic Movement, governments, inter-governmental agencies and betting authorities and entities took part on 24 October 2025, both in person and online, in the 5^th International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Forum adopted the Universal Declaration on Sports Integrity, a new action-oriented commitment to strengthen the protection of integrity in sport.

The Universal Declaration on Sports Integrity, unanimously endorsed during the event, outlines responsibilities and concrete follow-up actions for key stakeholders across four priority areas:

• promoting good governance and combating corruption in sport;
• preventing competition manipulation;
• integrity in officiating and the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI); and
• safeguarding in sport.

In view of its importance and for convenience of reference, Valloni Attorneys at Law reproduce in full the text of the adopted Universal Declaration on Sports Integrity:

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION ON SPORTS INTEGRITY

The participants of the fifth edition of the International Forum for Sports Integrity, at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 October 2025,

Reaffirming the fundamental principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter and the values of excellence, respect and friendship;

Reiterating that sport can be an enabler of sustainable development, and also contribute to fostering justice and peace worldwide;

Recognising the level of governance attained by the Olympic Movement;

Taking into account that standards of sports integrity have expanded and evolved in response to emerging challenges and new opportunities;

Drawing attention to the need for enhanced cross-sector cooperation among stakeholders, together with the need for harmonious relations and constructive partnerships between sports organisations and governments or non-governmental organisations;

Acknowledging that the responsibility for further promoting safe sporting environments and protecting sports integrity rests not only with the leadership of the Olympic Movement but with all stakeholders working collectively;

Recognising that the compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and a zero-tolerance approach in the fight against doping are essential components of sports integrity;

Recognising the important role played by the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime in harmonising the actions taken by Governments in the fight against corruption and crime in sport, recalling General Assembly resolutions which include references to the threat to sport posed by corruption and crime and the need to protect sport, and welcoming efforts by States Parties to implement them; and

Recalling the principles set out in the IOC Code of Ethics and its implementing provisions, including the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, the Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance within the Olympic Movement (BUPGG), and the Sport Governance Benchmark and Guidelines adopted by the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), together with the resolutions adopted by other intergovernmental bodies calling for strengthening efforts to prevent and combat corruption in sport, promote good governance in sport and criminalise the manipulation of competitions,

1. With regard to strengthening the Olympic Movement through good governance, the Olympic Movement calls upon:

1.1. Sports organisations to foster a culture of integrity within their organisation and implement clear and robust governance frameworks based on the principles of transparency, integrity, democracy, development and solidarity, and control mechanisms/checks and balances;

1.2. Sports organisations to adopt and enforce codes of ethics, including effective implementation of anti-corruption policies and, in particular, policies for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest, and to extend these requirements to their member associations;

1.3. Sports organisations to promote easily accessible and confidential reporting mechanisms for any type of breach of the organisation’s regulations, and manage submitted reports in a timely manner;

1.4. Sports organisations to ensure representation and meaningful participation of all key stakeholders, including active athletes, in decision-making processes and governance bodies;

1.5. Sports organisations to establish oversight bodies to monitor compliance;

1.6. Sports organisations to conduct risk assessments and implement an appropriate risk-mitigation strategy that includes corruption risks;

1.7. Sports organisations, law enforcement and criminal justice authorities to enhance cooperation in order to detect, prevent, investigate and sanction corruption in sport, including by establishing effective cooperation mechanisms that allow for the effective and expedited exchange of information and collaboration, such as through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Programme on Safeguarding Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime;

1.8. All relevant stakeholders to further contribute to the work carried out by IPACS, underlining the importance of the recommendations of its benchmark on sports governance, including joining the Partnership and actively participating in IPACS-related activities and dissemination;

1.9. All relevant stakeholders to encourage and support the active role of athletes in promoting a culture of integrity and anti-corruption in and around sport;

1.10. All host cities, OCOGs, Interested Parties in Continued and/or Targeted Dialogue for the Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games, and other future hosts of IOC-sanctioned events to adhere to the BUPGG; and

1.11. All host cities, OCOGs, Interested Parties in Continued and/or Targeted Dialogue for the Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games, and other future hosts of IOC-sanctioned events to refrain from any act involving fraud or corruption, including conflicts of interest, in accordance with applicable international agreements, national laws and internationally recognised anti-corruption standards, including by establishing and maintaining effective compliance measures.

2. With regard to preventing competition manipulation, the Olympic Movement calls upon:

2.1. Sports organisations to continue their strong commitment to preventing competition manipulation, notably through strong rules, awareness raising and intelligence activities;

2.2. States to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions and to implement its provisions, and to effectively implement relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, to tackle competition manipulation;

2.3. States to set up national platforms with the participation of all key stakeholders (sport, law enforcement, and state and betting authorities);

2.4. States to ensure that their criminal law is well equipped in terms of covering competition manipulation-related offences;

2.5. States to ensure that appropriate legislation/regulations are in place, allowing for the sharing of information, including account-based information between sport, law enforcement and betting entities;

2.6. Betting entities to share timely information regarding irregular/suspicious betting activity with relevant sports and law enforcement authorities;

2.7. Betting entities to make their best efforts to share account-based information with the sports movement in relation to sportspersons who place bets on their sport/competition;

2.8. Law enforcement authorities to make their best efforts to coordinate their criminal investigations with sports-disciplinary investigations; and

2.9. Law enforcement authorities to contribute to the INTERPOL Match-Fixing Task Force.

3. With regard to the importance of integrity in officiating, the Olympic Movement calls upon:

3.1. International Federations to reaffirm that integrity is fundamental to every sport, and that fair competition must be safeguarded from manipulation, misconduct and unethical behaviour;

3.2. International and National Federations to ensure that the impartiality, accuracy and consistency of officiating are safeguarded and continuously strengthened, as they are essential to the credibility of competition outcomes;

3.3. International Federations to acknowledge the natural challenges in traditional officiating systems — particularly in judged sports — which may include subjectivity, inconsistency and limited transparency in decision-making, together with the important role of feedback mechanisms for officials’ development;

3.4. International Federations to implement robust and transparent procedures that reinforce ethical standards and ensure accountability in officiating practices;

3.5. International Federations, technology providers and public authorities to integrate technological innovation — particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) — to support fair play and enhance officiating quality through:

1. Data-driven decision making that improves objectivity
2. Consistent enforcement of rules and scoring

iii. Real-time analysis and feedback for officials

1. Increased transparency and accountability in officiating processes;

3.6. International Federations and governance experts to promote the development of officiating systems that are inclusive, evidence-based and aligned with the principles of good governance, integrity and athlete-centred values;

3.7. All stakeholders – including sports federations, technology providers, public authorities and athlete representatives – to collaborate in designing and implementing officiating frameworks; and

3.8. Olympic Movement stakeholders to reaffirm that the protection of officiating integrity is a shared responsibility to be pursued through collective action, continuous innovation and unwavering commitment to the values enshrined in the Olympic Charter.

4. When it comes to safeguarding in sport, the Olympic Movement calls upon:

4.1. All relevant stakeholders to recognise safeguarding within the broader field of sports integrity;

4.2. All relevant stakeholders to acknowledge the importance of preventing and addressing interpersonal violence in sport, including psychological, physical, sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, hazing and online abuse;

4.3. Sports organisations to ensure that safeguarding policies are in place, covering prevention and response, including education, training and reporting systems that adopt a person-centred approach;

4.4. Sports organisations to integrate safeguarding policies and procedures into organisational planning and the hosting of sports events;

4.5. All relevant stakeholders to cooperate, where appropriate, with state authorities, law enforcement, health and education systems, and community-based organisations, recognising their distinct but complementary roles and responsibilities in preventing and responding effectively to interpersonal violence.

We fully support and advise sports governing bodies and other stakeholders on sporting integrity and further information is available from our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, by emailing him at valloni@valloni.ch.