IBIA Integrity Training Program Reaches Canadian Athletes

Image: ABOVE: IBIA education session delivered with Atletico Ottawa FC

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and PFA Canada have just completed the second year of their athlete-integrity-education program together.

This milestone marks not only the success of a national initiative but also highlights IBIA’s broader strategy: safeguarding sport and regulated sports betting markets through a prevention-first model rooted in trust, education and collaboration.

Field Notes and Impressions

Preventing sports betting-related match-fixing starts with education in the locker rooms. That is why IBIA, supported by members bet365, Betway and FanDuel, committed CA$300,000 to fund athlete-betting-integrity education in Canada from 2025–27. Over the past two years IBIA and PFA Canada’s sports-integrity trainers have travelled coast to coast to deliver their “Protecting the Integrity of the Game” athlete-education workshops from Ontario to Alberta, including stops in Nova Scotia, Manitoba, British Columbia and places in between.

In each of the 2024 and 2025 training cycles, nearly 200 players and staff from eight Canadian Premier League (CFL) teams have attended in-person, sports-integrity-education workshops. IBIA’s training model is based on building trust and peer-to-peer learning. It helps athletes understand how they can avoid and prevent sports-integrity breaches, including by using the FIFPRO “Red Button” app for anonymously reporting sports-integrity concerns.

Image: IBIA education session delivered with Calvary FC

Having the opportunity to speak directly to a group of 25 professional footballers, many of whom hail from countries all around the globe, at each workshop is a fantastic opportunity to spread the sports-integrity message. The program is equipping them with the necessary knowledge and understanding – from the rules and sanctions to how to identify threats, how bet-monitoring technology works, and how to report suspicious approaches.

It has been very encouraging to see how the teams and athletes have engaged with this program, taking time to prioritize sports betting integrity during their competitive season, when it matters most. Each session reaffirms the importance of face-to-face communications. Players are posing interesting and challenging questions about what they can and can’t do in various scenarios. They are also sharing and discussing the experiences they and their peers have faced. It reminds me of the conversations we had with athletes in Europe, when we were pioneering the development of athlete-integrity education more than a decade ago, and how new and important this is to the players.

Why the ‘3Rs’ are Imperative

While uncommon, the unfortunate truth is that to corrupt sporting competitions – and financially benefit from defrauding betting markets – the active involvement of athletes or officials is needed. Many athletes, especially those early in their careers, have never been taught about match-fixing, betting rules or how reporting systems work. Without that foundation, they are vulnerable (sometimes entirely unknowingly) to approaches from corrupters. Education campaigns like IBIA’s are fundamental to help building a culture of ethic and respect within the sports ecosystem, and to help protecting athletes’ careers.

Image: IBIA education session delivered with Forge FC

Since 2010, IBIA – working alongside EU Athletes and the European Commission – has trained over 35,000 professional athletes in Europe. The experience and lessons from those training sessions have been synthesized into IBIA’s tailored, 3Rs training model:

• Rules: Explaining the betting and integrity regulations that athletes must understand.
• Responsibility: Highlighting athletes’ obligations to safeguard their sport.
• Reporting: Providing safe, confidential ways to report approaches and concerns.

These three principles form the backbone of every IBIA education program, but the content is always adapted to the needs of different countries and sports. Just as IBIA designed the “Protecting the Integrity of the Game” initiative alongside PFA Canada, we are excited to be in discussions with other Canadian sports and jurisdictions to expand this important educational activity.

Image: IBIA education session delivered with Pacific FC

Why Trust Matters

One of the most important lessons learned globally by IBIA is that the messenger matters as much as the message. Although I was a professional basketball player for 12 years, I was a much better union organizer. One thing I learnt in those years about the psyche of professional athletes is fundamental to how IBIA approaches integrity education today: the importance of trust.
Quite simply, if the message is not delivered by someone athletes trust, it will not get through. That is why IBIA works with ex-athletes, coaches and player-association staff – people with first-hand experience of elite sport, and who understand the concerns and challenges players face.

Anybody who has spent time in a sports locker room knows that a corporate presenter with a slide deck isn’t going to work. Athletes need to relate to and trust the person to whom they’re speaking.
PFA Canada is an essential partner in this effort. As the representative voice of professional footballers in the country, it already has the relationships, access and credibility needed to engage players meaningfully. Its presence created an atmosphere of trust and openness from the outset.
Our work with PFA Canada has reinforced the value of partnering with organizations that represent players. Their close connection with athletes helps ensure that the message is delivered effectively, as players feel more comfortable and confident from the beginning.

Honest Exchanges

IBIA’s train-the-trainer model also enables PFA Canada to continue providing consistent education throughout the season, at the right times and in the right environments … such as the locker room, where players are most at ease. Ultimately, that trust is what encourages honest conversation, questions and — crucially — reporting. After all, if a player doesn’t feel safe coming forward, even the best reporting system in the world won’t make a difference.

These are insights and experiences that IBIA will carry into 2026. As we extend the “Protecting the Integrity of the Game” initiative into a third year, we greatly look forward to further safeguarding past participants of the program, as well as bringing the message to new athletes and new sports.