Betting on Specific Markets: Experts Explain Why Athletics Is Becoming Harder to Control

^{David Howman, Chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit}

The growing interest in betting on athletics is increasing risks to the integrity of competitions and the athletes themselves. This was reported by Play the Game, a project of the Danish Institute for Sports Studies.

The commercialization of athletics is amplifying these risks. On September 11, the first World Athletics Ultimate Championship will begin in Budapest — a three-day tournament featuring 28 disciplines and a record prize pool of $10 million.

At the same time, the calendar of major competitions is expanding, including road races.

Experts highlight several key challenges:

• Athletes do not necessarily have to lose intentionally to influence a bet. Markets can include split times, qualifying results or an athlete’s decision to withdraw from a competition. David Howman, Chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) — World Athletics’ independent body responsible for integrity matters — notes that such markets make monitoring more difficult. Journalist Danny Fant adds that the more bets are offered on specific indicators, the harder it becomes to identify suspicious activity.
• Insider information can also be used in betting. This may include details about injuries, form and an athlete’s readiness that are known to coaches, agents, medical staff or others in their circle. Athletes do not always understand what information they are allowed to share.
• Some athletes are more vulnerable to external pressure. Those at greater risk include competitors from low-income backgrounds and countries with weaker legal protections, as well as athletes dependent on agents, sponsors or family members.
• Unregulated markets are harder to monitor. According to Howman, sports organizations have limited ability to oversee betting activity outside the regulated sector.
• Monitoring systems may fail to keep pace with market development. Sports historian John Gleaves warns that if new betting markets emerge faster than monitoring systems can adapt, this could undermine the trust of fans and participants in the integrity of competitions.

To identify such risks, the AIU monitors betting activity at major events and reviews potential betting-related violations. However, until January 2026, there had been no sanctions in athletics for breaches of betting rules.

The first cases resulted in penalties: in January 2026, the AIU for the first time sanctioned athletes for betting violations — German discus throwers Henrik Janssen and Steven Richter, as well as French athlete Aurore Fleury.