The Table Tennis Federation of Ukraine and Sport Integrity Team Partner to Stamp out Match Fixing

The introduction of a formal Code of Ethics and Fair Play officially puts into place policies around appropriate and inappropriate conduct, to ensure that all organisers, players, umpires and officials involved in table tennis tournaments are clear on the standards which need to be upheld. The Code includes policies around disclosing conflicts of interest, the offering and acceptance of gifts and other benefits, bribery, corruption, discrimination, and many other relevant matters to ensure best practice. Beyond this, the Code sets out the process for dealing with any violations of the Code and lays out the jurisdiction of the newly formed Ethics and Fair Play Committee to uphold the policies.

The introduction of a formal Code of Ethics and Fair Play officially puts into place policies around appropriate and inappropriate conduct, to ensure that all organisers, players, umpires and officials involved in table tennis tournaments are clear on the standards which need to be upheld. The Code includes policies around disclosing conflicts of interest, the offering and acceptance of gifts and other benefits, bribery, corruption, discrimination, and many other relevant matters to ensure best practice. Beyond this, the Code sets out the process for dealing with any violations of the Code and lays out the jurisdiction of the newly formed Ethics and Fair Play Committee to uphold the policies.

Aside from this, the TTFU continues to develop approaches to regulate the market of commercial table tennis tournaments, which till now have not had one official regulatory body. As part of the federation's efforts, all major tournaments will now sign an agreement on their official member status and are included in a single calendar of sports events in Ukraine. Matches are counted towards a simplified system of national ratings, and players must confirm their status as professional athletes.

"We are confident that the processes we have put in place, as well as the creation of this Ethics and Fair Play Code and Committee will aid in our fight to counter the serious issue of match-fixing. We are a fully independent organisation and our primary objective is to develop and grow the sport of Table Tennis in Ukraine. We remain dedicated to supporting new and emerging tournaments, and work to streamline the game without imposing unnecessary regulations. I am confident that by joining forces with the Sport Integrity team and leveraging their expertise, we will create working tools to counter what threatens the essence of the sporting principle," said the President of the TTFU, Oleksandr Zats.

"The Ukrainian Table Tennis Federation is very concerned about the problem of match fixing and decided to react strongly. We are proud to work together with TTFU to stamp out dishonesty within the sport. We are confident that we will make table tennis in Ukraine a sport free from match-fixing," said Francesco Baranca, consultant at Sport Integrity Team S.r.l.

About TTFU

Table Tennis Federation of Ukraine (TTFU) was founded in 1992 to develop table tennis in Ukraine, increasing the role of physical culture and sports in the comprehensive development of the individual, strengthening the health of citizens, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and protecting the common legitimate interests of its citizen's members.

The major competitions of TTFU are Club Championships of Ukraine, individual Championships of Ukraine of all ages, and a series of table tennis tournaments, which have received official status.

About Sport Integrity Team

The Sport Integrity Team is an Italian organization that fights match-fixing, protecting the rights of all stakeholders, associations, bookmakers, and customers. Since 2020, Sport Integrity is a continuation to Federbet.

Sport Integrity Team's customers include bookmakers such as teams like Atalanta and the Ukrainian Football Association. In 2020, the Sport Integrity Team found over 1,000 suspicious matches across all sports, and many sporting and criminal operations were launched due to the team's reports.