LONDON, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Britain and France have signed a joint agreement to tackle sports corruption and match-fixing in sport, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said in London Friday.
The British and French Governments have agreed to share expertise and best practice which will also target irregular sports betting.
The Declaration of Intention was signed by Matt Hancock and the French Sports Minister Laura Flessel as part of the UK-France Summit taking place in Britain this week, said DCMS.
Hancock said: "The UK and France are steadfast allies in the battle against corruption. Doping and match-fixing scandals have rocked international sport in recent years and it is crucial that we take a global approach, working together to ensure the integrity of sport is upheld. Fans have to be able to believe in fair play in sport and be inspired by the best athletes in the world."
Hancock added:"Through the work of UK Anti-Doping, the Gambling Commission's Sports Betting Intelligence Unit and our Code for Sports Governance we are ensuring that our sports bodies are more transparent and uphold the highest standards on integrity and governance. We want to share best practice with other nations and this agreement with France underlines how important it is to work in partnership on the threat of corruption."
The UK Code for Sports Governance came into force in April 2017 and so far 55 out of 58 national sports bodies in Britain have complied with the code, ensuring more diverse board membership and increasing transparency to help fans and those taking part better understand the decision-making of those leading their sports.
Under the new Declaration of Intention, Britain has also agreed to share with France best practice and expertise gained from hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
France will host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and Paris will stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.
DCMS said the London 2012 Olympics generated over 20 billion U.S. dollar's worth of trade and investment for Britain while the 2015 Rugby World Cup, held in 11 host cities across England, set new attendance, viewership and competition records, generating an additional 1.6 billion U.S. dollars for the UK economy.
