Since ancient times, man has glorified athletes for their importance and for the
beauty of their practice. The vast commercialization of sport in modern times, with
its internationalized labor market and huge investments by media and sponsors,
would have been unthinkable in previous eras. The existence of large sums of money
with wealthy private investors who cross borders to fund sports would have been
unimaginable.
The romantic view of sport has dissipated and no longer finds support or justification
in today’s world. Crime that was typically confined to certain sectors found
its way into sport, transforming itself in order to carry out offenses that are extremely
harmful to society.
Recognizing the opportunity for huge profits, money gradually discovered the
world of sport and began to control it. On one hand, the increase in cash flow has
allowed large numbers of people to access the world of sport through various investments.
On the other hand, it has led to the harmful effects of fraud, tax evasion,
corruption, doping, human trafficking, illegal gambling, match fixing, and money
laundering. There is no doubt, therefore, about sport’s vulnerability to a number of
global threats.