Ukraine has handed down its third verdict in a case involving the manipulation of a sporting event
Ukraine has issued another conviction in a case involving the manipulation of the results of table tennis matches. On 2 October 2026, the Obolonskyi District Court of Kyiv approved a plea agreement and found a football referee guilty of a criminal offence under Part 1 of Article 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — influencing the results of official sports competitions through bribery.
The conviction follows an investigation previously reported by the National Platform of Sports Integrity. The Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine, together with investigators of the Obolonskyi District Police Department of the Main Department of the National Police in Kyiv, under the procedural supervision of the Obolonskyi District Prosecutor’s Office, uncovered a suspected scheme to manipulate the results of table tennis matches and detained the suspect while money was being transferred. Experts of the National Platform of Sports Integrity and Andrii Davydenko, Chair of the UAF Ethics and Fair Play Committee, also participated in the work.
The conviction constitutes the third national judicial precedent under Part 1 of Article 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine in cases involving the manipulation of sports competitions.
According to the circumstances established by the court, in 2026 the defendant offered a professional table tennis player a financial reward in exchange for deliberately losing a match at an official table tennis tournament. They subsequently agreed to manipulate the results of further matches in exchange for financial remuneration.
On 29 June 2026, the prosecutor and the defendant entered into a plea agreement. The defendant unconditionally admitted his guilt and, among other obligations, undertook to transfer UAH 100,000 to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to assist in the detection and pre-trial investigation of criminal offences.
The court approved the plea agreement and sentenced the defendant to a fine of UAH 17,000. The funds used as the illicit benefit were confiscated.
The case demonstrates the cooperation between law enforcement authorities and the National Platform of Sports Integrity in detecting and investigating possible manipulation of sports competition results. The conviction also demonstrates the practical application of Ukrainian criminal law to hold persons involved in such offences accountable.
The National Platform of Sports Integrity continues to facilitate information exchange and cooperation among relevant stakeholders to ensure the timely identification of risks, response to potential violations and protection of the integrity of sports competitions.