IOC to set up anti-corruption unit

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is to set up a special unit to tackle illegal betting and match-fixing in a bid to make sure it does not become an issue in future Games, the Reuters news agency reported over the weekend.

Following a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland which included delegates from the international football regulator FIFA, the IAAF and international Olympics chiefs, it was agreed that such a unit was necessary and should be set up in time for the next Olympics.

The unit will coordinate anti-corruption initiatives, work on risk prevention and support the harmonisation of rules of the Olympic and sports movements, the IOC said in a statement following the meeting.

“These rules will be based on examples from some of the international federations already working on this issue, such as (FIFA) which has already applied severe sanctions,” the statement noted.

The Olympics have been largely unaffected by illegal betting or match-fixing although last year badminton came under fire at the London Games when four women’s doubles pairs from South Korea, China and Indonesia deliberately played to lose their matches in order to get a more favourable draw.

All four pairings were disqualified and banned.

Athletes and officials are forbidden from betting on the Olympics and the IOC has been co-operating with legal betting agencies in the past few Games to monitor betting patterns for any suspect or unusual wagers.

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