On 15 May 2025, Panathlon Club Colômbia held its monthly session—both in person and online—featuring a special intervention on one of the most pressing issues in modern sport: match-fixing. The session welcomed Fábio Figueiras, who is a member of the Culture, Research and Education Committee of Panathlon International and Vice-President of Panathlon Club of Lisbon and who has actively participated in the projects and discussion tables related to prevention of match-fixing.
During his approximately 45-minute presentation, Fábio Figueiras explored the complex landscape of match-fixing, highlighting both sporting and non-sporting motivations behind the manipulation of competitions. He underlined the fact that match-fixing is not exclusive to well-known sports like football and basketball, but can affect a wide variety of disciplines, often under the radar.
A significant part of the session was dedicated to the Erasmus+ project “Sport Against Match-Fixing” (SAMF), a two-year initiative that concluded in 2024. The project focused on preventive education for young athletes, raising awareness of the career-threatening consequences of participating in match-fixing.
Fábio Figueiras presented an array of SAMF educational tools, including:
• Comics, posters, and a practical handbook to support coaches, teachers, and clubs in their awareness efforts
• The SAMF didactic game, available on both the Apple Store and Google Play, designed to simulate real-life decision-making scenarios around integrity in sport
• Testimonial videos and interviews with both alleged and confirmed match-fixing participants
He also highlighted the inspiring work of SAMF’s Panathlon Ambassadors, who delivered workshops and awareness sessions within their clubs and national federations. The project outcomes are documented with photos, videos, and reports, showcasing the widespread reach and impact of the initiative.
The session ended with the projection of a short video summarizing the SAMF project, providing a powerful recap of its goals and achievements.
The presentation in Colombia is part of a broader effort by Panathlon International to bring the SAMF message to Panathlon Clubs globally, which follows already sessions held virtually and in presence in Argentina, Brazil, and across Europe, including Belgium, Portugal and Italy. Notably, Panathlon Clubs in South America have shown growing interest in receiving materials, workshops, and training on match-fixing prevention.
