As a judge and umpire at events I’m privileged to hear a lot of information that is not (yet) readily available to the public. I must be aware of my limitations to blog about such information. I have made mistakes in that regard in the past.
That’s why I’m always on the look out for anything that is published or written by ISAF about this subject. In this years mid-year meeting a submission has been approved that has gone into effect on 05/04/2012: Betting and Anti-Corruption - New Appendix 5
Purpose or Objective of the submission: To establish rules on betting and anti-corruption. Proposal: To adopt the ASOIF Model rules on betting and anti-corruption as Appendix 5.
Notes: 1. The Constitution Committee to complete the relevant details. & 2. The Executive Committee to publish draft sanctions by the end of July 2012 for final consideration and ratification by Council in November 2012.
The approved text still has a lot of holes and still needs a lot of work before it is clear. But there are also paragraphs which raise more questions than answer them:
Lets have a look at ‘inside information’. This is defined as:
"Inside Information" means any information relating to any Competition or Event that a Participant possesses by virtue of his position within the sport. Such information includes, but is not limited to, factual information regarding the competitors, the conditions, tactical considerations or any other aspect of the Competition or Event, but does not include such information that is already published or a matter of public record, readily acquired by an interested member of the public or disclosed according to the rules and regulations governing the relevant Competition or Event;
Example: Racing has been postponed. But at one o’clock the jury is told racing will start at three. This is not yet announced on the noticeboard or anywhere else, in other words; it’s inside information.
Back to the text:
3. RULE VIOLATIONS
3.4 Inside Information
(a) Using Inside Information for Betting purposes or otherwise in relation to Betting.
(b) Disclosing Inside Information to any Person with or without Benefit where the Participant might reasonably be expected to know that its disclosure in such circumstances could be used in relation to Betting.
(c) Inducing, instructing, facilitating or encouraging a Participant to commit a Violation set out in this Rule 3.4.
I phone my brother, who’s watching the racing on the internet and tell him he can go and have lunch because racing will not start until three. Am I breaking rule 3.4(b)?
There are countries where they bet on anything. Is it reasonable for me to expect that they would bet on when racing starts?
Have a look at the document and tell me what your think.
Betting and Anti-Corruption - New Appendix 5
Is this in fact a real problem in sailing? Or just worry about things like those that have occurred with respect to professional cricket in Pakistan?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was appointed as an International Judge, one of my non-sailing friends asked if that meant that I would get paid for all of the time and effort that I put in. I replied that payment was unlikely and that, in sailing, unlike in certain other Olympic sports (names withheld to protect the guilty), there was no tradition of bribing the judges.
This appears to be a solution without a problem. Where outside of the "18's" in Sydney Harbour is betting on sailing an issue?
ReplyDeleteTo what document is this code an appendix, and where does it stand with respect to the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS)? As far as I know, there is no rule contemplated for the 2013-2016 RRS saying, "Competitors, judges and race officials shall act in accordance with Appendix 5 of XXX document." Without such a rule, there is no compulsion to obey the requirements of that document. As an example of how this is handled in a similar area, see RRS 5.
ReplyDelete