About the POINTS project

Due to numerous scandals in the past few years related to ethical questions the need for actions in terms of integrity and good governance in the field of sport is obvious. The public opinion on sport tends to become more negative than before and public authorities increase the pressure on sport governing bodies to implement principles of good governance as well as ensuring the integrity of sport competitions. It´s fair to say that sport organisations are more aware of these challenges and have taken several initiatives including activities to fight against match fixing or to improve their governance. Regarding the latter, the EOC EU Office has taken up this challenge through the projects S4GG and SIGGS, which have provided direct support to sport organisations in order to improve their governance as well as being more efficient and having a more ethical way of functioning.

The involvement of the IOC in the consortium will allow the POINTS project to build on the concept of ‘Single Points of Contact’, developed within the IOC Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS) and related to the fight against match-fixing. With the POINTS Project, the EOC EU Office wants to adapt and further develop these activities to reach National Olympic Committees and European Federations. Another key aspect of the project will be to expand the scope of the concept of Single Points of Contact (SPOC) to other integrity issues. A holistic approach that would strengthen internal governance, risk management arrangements as well as prevention and education mechanisms within sport would help sport organisations to become more resistant to potential misconduct in relation to sport competitions and sport management.

The main objective of the POINTS Project would be to help National Olympic Committees, European Federations and national sport federations in Europe to safeguard the integrity of their sport(s) and to strengthen their governance.

▪ To develop a structure and system of ‘Single Points of Contact for Integrity’ within National Olympic Committees and European federations

Developing the concept of SPOC will first require a thorough analysis of the currently existing structure of the SPOC. Following this analysis, a comprehensive brainstorming exercise will be conducted with the whole consortium in order to determine to which extent certain elements can be transferred directly to the European and national level and which aspects would need to be modified.

▪ To develop an educational programme to provide training and education to representatives of NOCs and EFs to become ‘Single Points of Contact for Integrity’

A key aspect of the project will be to provide education and training for the contact persons to ensure that the appointed representatives can fulfil their tasks in line with the expectations. For the development of the educational programme, it will be important to build on existing initiatives of NOCs and EFs involved in the project, the educational activities of the IOC and other high-level bodies for SPOCs within IFs, the experience of existing Points of Contact and the information gathered in the framework of the SIGGS Project.

▪ To organise National Strategic Workshops on Integrity and Good Governance and further develop educational tools to provide practical guidance to NOCs and national sport federations on integrity and good governance

Strategic Workshops on integrity and good governance will be organised in the respective countries of the consortium to reach national sport federations and to establish and strengthen the position of the respective SPOC. In that perspective the SIGGS self-evaluation tool, developed in a previous European project conducted by the EOC EU Office between January 2015 and December 2016, will play a key role in the work with national organisations.