The National Platform and the Field Hockey Federation will work together to protect fair play

The event began with welcoming remarks from Matvii Bidnyi, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and Vadym Guttsait, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, who emphasized the importance of joint action in combating match-fixing and other forms of manipulation in sport.

The Minister of Youth and Sports stressed the importance of systematic educational work:

"Over the course of this and last year, the National Platform has already held dozens of educational events, and each of them is not just a lecture or seminar. It is a frank conversation about how manipulating competition results has nothing to do with real sport," the Minister said.

At the same time, NOC of Ukraine President Vadym Guttsait stressed that integrity is a fundamental value of sport and the international Olympic movement as a whole.

“The NOC of Ukraine actively supports international standards and initiatives to prevent corruption schemes and manipulation. It is gratifying that one of the most active federations in this area is the Field Hockey Federation, which has already done significant work and is preparing new projects for implementation,” said Vadym Guttsait.

During the meeting, the parties discussed key areas of cooperation, including holding educational seminars for athletes and coaches, creating mechanisms to respond to cases of manipulation, and promoting the principles of fair play among young people.

Natalia Radchuk, secretary of the National Platform of Sports Integrity, emphasized the need for close cooperation with national federations. She stressed that it is through federations that key principles of integrity can be effectively communicated to athletes and coaches and conditions created in which any manifestations of manipulation will be detected and stopped in a timely manner.

Platform experts Andriy Nekrutov and Svyatoslav Syrota, head of the NGO “Play Fair,” focused on the practical aspects of combating the manipulation of competition results. They shared examples from international experience, talked about algorithms for responding to suspicious cases, and emphasized the need for systematic educational programs for young athletes.

Speakers noted that at a time when sport is under pressure from global challenges, it is the shared responsibility of all participants in the sporting process that guarantees its sustainability and integrity.