Introduction. In the course of the study conducted by the authors of the article, the content of guilt in the elements of such crimes in the fi eld of sports as causing harm to the life or health of an athlete, the use of and inducement to use substances and methods prohibited in sports, unlawful infl uence on the result of a sports competition, hooliganism was analyzed. The defi nitions of the concept of «guilt» in sports and criminal law are considered and compared. The generally accepted concept of guilt is studied in relation to crimes in the fi eld of sports. Methods. The study used the methods of system analysis, expert assessment, analysis, synthesis, abstraction, generalization, analogy, induction, deduction. Results. The authors of the article came to the conclusion that, despite a high degree of autonomy, the fi eld of sports nevertheless needs criminal law protection. For the proper quality of such protection, a thorough analysis and revision of the existing criminal law norms are necessary. The difference in approaches to the defi nition of the concept of «guilt» in sports and criminal law is noted. It is stated that such a distinction does not generally prevent the qualifi cation of violations committed during sports competitions or preparation for them. It is established that in the composition of crimes in the sphere of sports, guilt, as a rule, is presented in the form of intent, such acts are committed with a special purpose. It is emphasized that in order to increase the effectiveness of combating crimes in the sphere of sports, along with legislative ones, organizational changes are necessary, such as the creation of a specialized unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the investigation of crimes of this type, as well as a specialized automated system for recording violations in the sphere of sports.