Olympians agree on anti corruption recommendations
6/25/10 – International sports movements under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have agreed on a series of recommendations aimed at protecting and maintaining the integrity of sport, especially in regard to the risk of ‘irregular’ betting.
The recommendations are the result of deliberations at a conference in Lausanne this week in which the IOC, International Sports Federations, National Olympic Committees, the betting sector and public authorities participated.
The recommendations which emerged from the conference can be viewed at http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Conferences_Forums_and_Events/2010-06-24_Final_Recommendations_IOC_Seminar_Eng.pdf and serve as guidelines for all stakeholders involved.
They call for prevention, education and information from all involved in sport, as well as increased collaboration with governments.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said: “It is clear that betting, through the financial benefits it generates, provides huge opportunities to sports organisations.
“However, there is a significant problem when betting leads to the manipulation of competitions and therefore threatens the integrity of sport. Cheating driven by betting is undoubtedly the biggest threat to sport after doping.
“For the sports movement it is crucial to develop a unified strategy and to collaborate closely with public authorities and the legal gambling industry. Only then will we be able to address efficiently this complex issue,” Rogge concluded.
The IOC has approached the topic of irregular betting in a proactive way to protect the Olympic Games, a statement from the IOC claimed, adding that the Committee requires that all athletes, coaches, officials and journalists agree not to engage in Olympic-related betting or promote betting companies during the Games.
The IOC Code of Ethics also prohibits betting on any Olympic competition by IOC members, IOC staff or any accredited IF and Olympic Games Organising Committee personnel.
For the Games of the Olympiad in Beijing in 2008 and the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver last February, the IOC set up a dedicated monitoring system. No irregular betting patterns were reported during these events.
