The Waterpolo Players Organisation (WPO) will be holding their first Protect Integrity Seminar against match-fixing at the Tal-Qroqq Complex on Friday.

The seminar, held in conjunction with the ASA of Malta, will help waterpolo players combat the threat of match-fixing and illegal betting.

The Protect Integrity Project is part of a collaboration agreement between the WPO, the EU Commission and international police organisation Interpol.

The seminar will show ways to combat illegal activities in the sport.

The meeting additionally seeks to improve the solidarity of waterpolo players across the globe.

Participants will work directly on this task with some of the most well-known waterpolo players in the world, including Mark Kallay and Rajmund Fodor.

Those attending the seminar will become WPO members.

They will receive newsletters, updates and early alerts about competitions, training camps and other benefits connected to WPO members.

National League players, officials and related athletes are being urged to attend.

Speakers at the seminar include WPO attorney Alessandro Oliverio, Eric Konings, from Unibet, as well as representatives from the European Sport Security Association (ESSA) and Interpol.

WPO president Tony Azevedo is passionate about pushing the Protect Integrity mission forward.

“How many of us have lost games unfairly due to match-fixing, betting or bad referees?” he asked.

“This crime will only stop if we work together, and this Protect Integrity Seminar is a huge first step in the right direction.”

The WPO is a non-profit group encompassing current athletes, former players and amateurs in the sport from around the world.

The organisation’s main goals are to promote and develop waterpolo and pursue and defend the legal and moral rights of the players.