The United Kingdom would become the 18th nation to ratify the convention to combat the manipulation of sports

The United Kingdom is moving towards ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, also known as the Macolin Convention.

The Macolin convention, which is the first binding international legal instrument specifically designed to address the manipulation of sports competitions, was signed by the UK in 2018 but has yet to be ratified.

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee gave its support to the Convention on Friday, describing it as an important step towards protecting the integrity of sport in the UK and internationally.

The Committee said in its report that it supports the government’s intention to ratify the Convention, noting that it could deliver meaningful benefits for the UK and its international partners, while imposing only limited additional costs and burdens.

Lord Johnson, chair of the House of Lords International Agreements Committee, said: “People in the UK are passionate about sport, and the integrity of sports competitions is fundamental to their appeal. Match-fixing and other forms of competition manipulation present real risks to the integrity of sport, as well as the UK’s sports betting sector. We heard that the manipulation of sports competitions is often transnational in nature and is often orchestrated by organised crime groups.

“Ratifying the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions is therefore a step in the right direction: this is clearly an international problem, and international cooperation has to be part of the solution. The UK is already implementing many of the Convention’s provisions, but formalising this cooperation comes with advantages in terms of international enforcement and intelligence sharing.”

Lord Johnson added: “The Convention does have limitations, however. It is not designed to, and will not, eliminate competition manipulation or unregulated betting markets entirely. It is not a complete solution in itself and should be seen as one part of wider efforts.”

The Convention and the Committee’s report will be debated in the House of Lords on Tuesday (15 September).

The Convention has been signed by 43 nations to date but has only been ratified by 17.