Australia plans to curb match-fixing through legislation

Melbourne: In a bid to curb corruption in sports, including cricket, Australia will make match-fixing illegal next year through a specialised legislation with punishment of upto 10 years in jail for those found guilty.

The federal and state governments and the Coalition of Major Participation and Professional Sports (COMPPS) are pushing for the legislation to stamp out corruption. State attorneys-general are scheduled to meet in Hobart later this month to discuss the legislation, which was agreed to by the federal and state sports ministers at a Council of Australian Governments meeting at Brisbane in June, a sports website reported. Amid the high drama generated by the conviction of three Pakistani cricketers -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir -- in the spot-fixing scandal, the legislation will be of significance. The legislation will need to pass through each state parliament. "In addition to the criminal legislation, proposed measures to outlaw the manipulation of matches include the introduction of formal integrity agreements between sporting bodies and betting firms, while the federal government will oversee the formation of a national sports integrity office," the report said. "The office will be responsible for formulating integrity agreements and codes of conduct for a wide range of sports. Any electing not to co-operate will face the loss of government funding." PTI