International Olympic Committee Earmarks $22M To Fight Doping, Match-Fixing

The IOC is putting up $22.3M to fight doping and match-fixing -- "considered the two biggest threats to the credibility of the Games," according to the AP. IOC President Thomas Bach announced the funding projects on Saturday following an unprecedented four-day "brainstorming session" with his exec board. Bach moved to set his own course for the IOC and push what he calls the "Olympic Agenda 2020." The German said that the board agreed to create a $11.15M fund "to pay for research into developing improved techniques for catching drug cheats." Meanwhile, Bach said that the IOC was also setting up a $11.15M fund "to protect the clean athlete from any kind of manipulation or related corruption," a reference to match-fixing and illegal betting. The move "comes amid increasing scrutiny over the high costs associated with staging the Olympics" -- including the record $50B price tag for the coming 2014 Sochi Games (AP, 12/16).