The IOC on Monday "set up a
hotline for whistleblowers to report match-fixing and other corruption
in a new initiative to protect the integrity and credibility of the
Olympics and other sports competitions," according to Stephen Wilson of the AP. The IOC said the web-based "integrity and
compliance hotline" is open to athletes, coaches, referees and members
of the public and offers "100 percent anonymity." Callers
"can report suspicious approaches or activities related to fixing and
manipulation of competitions or violations of the IOC ethics code,
including financial misconduct." IOC President Thomas
Bach said, "The ultimate goal of
all this is to protect the clean athletes and to give them, as far as we
can, fair competition. When
it comes to the fight against manipulation and related corruption,
sport needs the help and cooperation of governments and governmental
authorities and other stakeholders much more than in any other area." The IOC "already has agreements
with Interpol to fight fixing and corruption." It also has a system for
monitoring betting patterns during the Olympics for any signs of
suspicious activity and recently created a $20M fund "to fight
doping and irregular betting." The IOC said that in the case of football match-fixing, whistleblowers "should use the mechanisms set up by
FIFA and UEFA." For doping issues, callers "should contact
the World Anti-Doping Agency or national doping bodies" (AP, 4/13).
