Vice Minister participates in World Conference of Sport Ministers

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A delegation led by M.Tumenjargal, the Vice minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism, has taken part in the Fifth UNESCO Conference of World Sport Ministers in Berlin, Germany. During the Conference, the delegation held meetings with Ministers and authorities of sport ministries of some countries, and shared views with them on related issues. This year's Conference has brought together some 500 delegates from 130 countries. Opening remarks have been made by Ms Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; Ms Irina Bokova, the UNESCO Director-General; Mr Hans-Peter Friedrich, the Federal Minister of the Interior; and by Mr Wilfried Lemke, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace. One of the main topics of the event was betting fraud and the fight against the manipulation of sport competitions. Across the globe, offenders bribe, threaten or blackmail referees, players or other functionaries of sport. Often, organized crime is involved. The rapidly growing online betting market encourages such criminal activities. Mr Friedrich emphasized that governments needed to get more involved and take stronger joint action against match fixing and betting fraud. "Honest competition is vital for sport", Friedrich said. "Manipulation deprives sport of its magic and attractiveness", the minister continued. "But first of all, we need a common understanding", he added, explaining that work was still going on to define criminal offence and align the various judicial cultures. The minister called for improved information-sharing among governments and stakeholders. Ms Merkel promised more support from policy makers, "we, and by this I mean policy makers, must not leave sports organizations to face this task alone." With the Berlin Declaration the conference intends to send a clear signal of zero tolerance for manipulation of sport competitions and betting fraud. The declaration is considered a beacon for future sports policy, giving momentum to the fight against organized crime. World sport ministers conferences have been organized at irregular intervals by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, since 1976. The most recent was held in Athens in 2004. The conference is intended to take stock of global developments in sport and to formulate strategic issues in international sport policy, based on the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, the Olympic Charter and other basic texts of international sport.