The ecosystem of sport integrities: Mapping the intersecting conceptions and institutions

This chapter operationalises the tripartite theoretical framework of sporting integrity by analysing the controversial finale of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The case illustrates the recursive interaction between personal integrity, competition integrity, and institutional integrity in complex decision-making situations. The research systematically examines each dimension of integrity. Personal integrity is analysed through biographical variables, causes, and reasons that influence individual decisions, including economic, cultural, and psychological factors. Competition integrity is divided into systemic conditions (tournament design, draft systems, regulations) and environmental conditions (market influences, budget differences, sports commodification). Institutional integrity encompasses the sports governance, the governance of the betting market, and their relations, highlighting issues of consistency in sanctions and the influence of commercial interests. The study demonstrates how micro, meso, and macro factors interact dynamically, creating structures of opportunity for manipulation. The chapter concludes that there is no single concept of sporting integrity, but rather multiple interrelated concepts that require differentiated and complementary intervention frameworks to effectively address the systemic risks of the contemporary sporting ecosystem.