FASANOC has participated in a virtual workshop looking at tackling the threats posed by the manipulation of sporting competitions ©FASANOC

The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) has participated in a virtual workshop looking at tackling the threats posed by the manipulation of sporting competitions.

FASANOC was one of several national sporting bodies from across Fiji that participated in the workshop which was also attended by representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Fiji's Ministry of Youth and Sport's permanent secretary Jone Maritino Nemani presented an update on work being done across the country to establish a national cooperation framework to address the manipulation of sports competitions.

"We do not have the experts or the technical knowhow but I am glad that through this workshop we can work and learn because we are still learning ourselves and we hope to establish a national framework that will help us tackle this issue," said Nemani.

Nemani added that the Ministry of Youth and Sport hoped to establish the framework next month in order to present it to the country's Parliament, where it will be debated on before a vote is taken on whether to adopt it.

"We will do our best to support the work being carried out by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in establishing a national cooperation framework to protect the integrity of sport," said FASANOC chief executive Lorraine Mar.

FASNOC was one of several NOCs from across Oceania and Asia that participated in the virtual workshop ©FASANOC
FASNOC was one of several NOCs from across Oceania and Asia that participated in the virtual workshop ©FASANOC

There were 200 other participants on the virtual workshop including representatives from National Olympic Committees from the Oceania and Asian regions, FIFA and World Rugby.

The objectives of the workshop were based around tackling the manipulation of sporting competitions, with the goals to help increase participants understanding in this area, identify how Governments, sports and other stakeholders could help deal with problems that arise, share and exchange examples of good practice and learn how to conduct effective criminal investigations.

FASANOC has adopted the Olympic Movement Code as part of its bid to address the manipulation of sporting competitions.

This code was approved by the IOC Executive Board in 2015 and aims to provide sports organisations with a set of regulations to protect competitions from the risks of manipulation.

All National Olympic Committees are required to implement this code as a reference.