New Zealand vows to eliminate match-fixing

WELLINGTON: New Zealand decides to take some effective measures to counter match-fixing ensuring sport remains corruption-free as the country prepares to co-host next year´s Cricket World Cup, ARY News has learnt.

New Zealand Sports Minister Murray McCully said that in recent years some sporting codes had been targeted by international criminal syndicates “seeking to gain unfair advantage to illegally profit from sports betting”.

“These activities compromise athletes and tarnish sport,” he said.

McCully announced the creation of a new crime of match-fixing, with a maximum penalty of seven years behind bars.

He said the new crimes would give greater certainty to international sports bodies combating match-fixing, but stressed the move was preventative and there was no evidence of a problem in New Zealand.

A briefing note from Sport New Zealand said the reform was being introduced ahead of major sporting events scheduled for next year.

“We need to ensure criminal sanctions are available to address possible match-fixing ahead of our 2015 hosting of the Cricket World Cup and FIFA Under 20 (football) World Cup,” it said.

“Internationally, both cricket and football are known for presenting a risk of match-fixing.”