In a declaration, the Committee of Ministers has called on member states and sports organisations to respond to evolving threats to integrity in sport with measures to build accountability and ensure fair and clean competitions.
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge welcomed the declaration as an important step in ensuring open and honest sport competitions.
"This declaration asks member states to take a comprehensive range of practical steps including new laws, regulations, guidelines and codes of conduct. It also encourages them to introduce education programmes and campaigns targeting athletes, coaches and others to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of unethical behaviour", he said.
Transparency, accountability, democracy and ethical behaviour must be the by-word in sport, the Committee of Ministers stressed, underlining the need for good governance, protection for whistle-blowers, and action against corruption, violence and the manipulation of competitions.
The Committee of Ministers also gave their support to the MARS network, newly set up to act as a hub to share information and good practices among legal professionals responsible for sport, and to the work being carried out within the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS).
