Leading local and international experts from the sporting and racing industries, law enforcement and intelligence agencies will converge in Melbourne today as part of a joint symposium hosted by Victoria Police and the Sport, Recreation and Racing Branch at the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR).
After a two-year hiatus for the pandemic, this year's event, 'Protecting Sport Through Collaboration', will highlight the ongoing domestic and international issues facing the sports industry, and how organisations must work together to combat these.
The symposium, to be officially opened by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos and Deputy Commissioner Wendy Steendam AM APM, will include presentations from Victoria Police, DJPR, and notable guest speakers from Australia and abroad.
It will cover topics such as integrity and match-fixing; racism and ethics in sport; illegal betting at a global scale; and utilising financial intelligence partnerships to combat sports corruption.
Victoria Police's own Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit (SIIU) has experienced success across football (soccer), tennis, racing and more recently, esports investigations since being established in 2013.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Commissioner Chris Gilbert, Intelligence and Covert Support Command:
"The annual symposium complements the SIIU's focus on collecting and sharing intelligence related to sporting integrity and mitigating the risk of infiltration by organised crime.
"The conference will once again highlight Victoria Police's vigilance about protecting the integrity of sport through the SIIU, as Australia continues to be a target for domestic and international match-fixing syndicates.
"Investigation of these types of criminality requires a coordinated response, incorporating all of our partners at a domestic and international level.
"With the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup commencing, the SIIU have taken a proactive approach to integrity at the tournament and have engaged with all our key stakeholders including liaison with the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit who will be providing a presentation at the symposium."
The SIIU works with all racing and sporting bodies to enhance knowledge, assist with capacity building and raising awareness of integrity and corruption issues across all sporting codes.
