The Fight against Corruption in Sport: International and National Experience

Corruption is a particularly dangerous scourge, which encompasses the whole of society, all spheres of human activity, and by virtue of this, it also encompasses education, whether we want to recognize it or not. Corruption flourishes in times of great social unrest, in times of crisis that societies are going through, especially in the period of transition from a totalitarian regime to a democratic society. The factor generating corruption is the socio-economic crisis, having as causes: weakening of state authority, degradation of living standards, altered moral judgment, lack of effective control levers, diminished public confidence in institutions and social values, non-adaptation of legislation to economic and social conditions and so on Sport is one of the largest businesses in the world, being influenced and influencing in turn both financial and political interests. Every year, millions of dollars and Euros circulate in this area, most of the transactions and agreements taking place behind closed doors, in order to keep any possible advantage over the competition. This fierce competitiveness, together with the lack of transparency, makes the sports field extremely vulnerable to corruption acts. Summarizing the results of our study, we can conclude: the fight against corruption is an opportunity for beneficiary institutions, which can strengthen and improve their systems for preventing and combating corruption and money laundering and asset recovery, by reference to worldwide first-class practices and standards. Following intense consultations with all beneficiaries in the Republic of Moldova: Minister of Education, Culture and Research, National Olympic and Sports Committee, Paralympics’ Committee, Sports Federations and other structures in the country, in order to ensure effective support in the field of physical culture and sports. The direct relations with the interested actors contribute to the creation of a positive framework, which will favour the general success of the future activities that will take place in obtaining the expected results.