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Britain, France agree to join forces against sport corruption

LONDON, Jan 19 (KUNA) -- Britain and France Friday signed an agreement to share expertise and best practices against match fixing in sport and corruption.
The agreement was signed by British Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Matt Hancock, and France's Sport Minister Laura Flessel-Colovic, on sidelines of the British-France summit.
Hancock hailed France as as a key partner in helping to protect sport's integrity.
Britain and France are steadfast allies in the battle against corruption, Hancock said in a statement "Doping and match-fixing scandals have rocked international sport in recent years and it is crucial that we take a global approach, working together to ensure the integrity of sport is upheld. Fans have to be able to believe in fair play in sport and be inspired by the best athletes in the world," he added.
Through the work of Britain Anti-Doping, the Gambling Commission's Sports Betting Intelligence Unit and "our Code for Sports Governance we are ensuring that our sports bodies are more transparent and uphold the highest standards on integrity and governance.
"We want to share best practice with other nations and this agreement with France underlines how important it is to work in partnership on the threat of corruption.
Under the agreement, Britain agreed to share with France best practice and expertise gained from hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
France will host the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and Paris will stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024. (end) mrn.bs