Representatives of the IOC, international sports federations, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), public authorities and the betting sector were all involved in the conference.

The recommendations, including the setting-up of the hotline, will serve as guidelines for all stakeholders involved, call for prevention, education and information for all involved in sport, as well as increased collaboration with Governments.

The IOC set-up a new system last year to watch for corrupt betting linked to Olympics competitions and it was used for the first in Vancouver earlier this year.

A new Swiss company, International Sports Monitoring, has been established to oversee the system, which will also be used for the London 2012 Games.

It did not detect any suspicious patterns in Vancouver but IOC President Jacques Rogge still spelled out the danger that the Olympics faces from betting.

He 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."

The seminar focused on the economic and legal aspects of the financing of sports organisations through betting activities as well as on finding solutions to combat the risks inherent to irregular betting.

The IOC already requires that all athletes, coaches, officials and journalists agree not to engage in Olympic-related betting or promote betting companies during the Games.

The constituents of the Olympic Movement are to be asked to adopt internal legislation to safeguard the integrity of the athletes, their entourage and officials, and to put in place educational measures for these groups.

Rogge said: "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."

To read the full list of recommendations click here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]  


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