Jacques Rogge: IOC is on guard against illegal betting at Vancouver Olympics

IOC vigilant against threat of betting and fixing

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The International Olympic Committee remains vigilant against the threat of illegal betting and match-fixing at the games.

“Illegal betting is as serious a threat for sport as doping,” IOC president Jacques Rogge said Wednesday. “It’s a very serious concern for the future. We will do everything we can to guard against it.”

The IOC set up a system to monitor betting patterns during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but found no illegal activity. A similar system is in place for the Vancouver Winter Games, which open Friday.

“It’s clear we have to be very prudent,” Rogge said on the opening day of a three-day IOC general assembly. “Sooner or later it will happen during the games.”

All those accredited for the games, including athletes, are barred from betting on Olympic competitions. Athletes suspected of involvement in gambling can be called before a disciplinary commission and face sanctions.

The IOC first addressed the issue in 2007, consulting with international sports federations and betting firms. The IOC has since reached accords with Interpol, the international police agency, and betting companies to monitor any irregular gambling patterns during the Olympics.

A Swiss company, International Sports Monitoring, will monitor betting on the Vancouver Games and the 2012 London Olympics for the IOC. It will get information on betting patterns from 400-450 oddsmakers, betting firms and lotteries and flag any irregularities for investigation.

Rogge said the IOC will meet with international federations in the next few weeks to consider further steps.

The betting issue came up during the opening session of the IOC session.

“As leaders of the Olympic movement, we should recognize and take on board the fact that betting and match-fixing and other forms of corruption rank equally with doping in the sense of destroying or having the potential to destroy the fundamental integrity of sport,” senior Canadian member Dick Pound said. “It is a very real and growing problem that can affect the future of sport.”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, an IOC member whose sport has faced numerous betting and match-fixing allegations, cited his federation’s “early warning system” and collaboration with Interpol for monitoring gambling.

“Illegal sports betting is a sign of the popularity of our sport,” Blatter said. “Everywhere in society people try to cheat.”