The Swedish Police Authority releases report on sports integrity

The Polismyndigheten， or Swedish Police Authority， has released a statement following an investigation into corruption in sports and sports betting.

In the report， the Authority explains that while Sweden had historically low rates of corruption in sports， there has been a rise in both national and international match-fixing.

These events are being committed by players， referees and criminal gangs acting in collaboration to gain a profit.

The acts of corruption could include match-fixing， unethical betting， money laundering or other illegal activities related to sports betting.

Per Engström， Swedish Police's National Operations Department Head of Section， said: "Sport stands for the values of integrity， team spirit and fair play.

“But it is also about large sums of money，Table games which in turn makes criminal actors interested and see opportunities here as well.”

The report also found that while football is the sport with the biggest risk of corruption， women’s football in particular could be exposed to match-fixing pressure in the future due to its rising popularity.

Engström continued: "It is clear to us in the Swedish police that criminal actors choose to advance their positions in different arenas where they can see financial gains.

“From the police， we have ongoing investigations in the area， but in order for us to deal with this in society， we must work together to prevent crime， at all levels.”

The Authority found that young people in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas were the most at risk of conducting criminal activities linked to sporting corruption， especially if they had a background of gambling addiction.

In response， the Swedish Police Authority has said that it continues to work towards solving the issue at its root.

In other Swedish news， the Government has proposed to increase its gambling tax up to 22% in its latest statement.