SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
53 international sports ministers met in Glasgow to discuss development and integrity of sports in developing countries. The ongoing meetings took place before the opening of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and has been named by officials as the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting.
The meeting between international ministers focused on the development of professional sports in underprivileged nations within the Commonwealth. Sports and government officials shared knowledge on how to bolster national and international sports policy and investment with regards to sports.
Key topics on the meetings agenda focused on growing concerns over sports betting and sports corruption. Ministers highlighted growing concerns on match fixing and illegal sports betting within developing nations of the commonwealth. Attending sports ministers were given further insight into the topic of sports and betting corruption by sports betting industry experts.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma stated: “The are great benefits from investing in sport and physical education. Sport can improve health and well-being, reducing the prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. It can also be a vehicle for strengthening communities and support peace-building in post-conflict environments.
“Sport is an important tool for advancing education, gender equality and youth empowerment, and can ensure social inclusion for minority and marginalised groups, such as people with disabilities. The Commonwealth places emphasis on the place of sports policy as part of the international development agenda”.
Policy tools and guidebooks published by the Commonwealth Secretariat will be presented at the Meeting, including The Commonwealth Guide to Advancing Development through Sport. Barbados, Rwanda and Sri Lanka are among those countries already using these guidelines to develop national action plans.
