IOC declares full commitment to "protecting integrity of sport"

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is fully committed to protecting the integrity of sport, said a declaration of the IOC Executive Board at a summit here.

"Credibility is one of the three pillars of Olympic Agenda 2020," and "a new good governance system of the IOC has been introduced" as part of the reform programme", said the declaration on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Olympic Agenda 2020 is the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, designed to safeguard the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and strengthen the role of sport in society, with the other two pillars as "sustainability" and "youth."

The IOC Executive Board reaffirmed that "it goes without saying that infringements from the past will also be addressed" and the IOC has already taken action against those responsible for hurting the credibility of the Olympic Games.

The IOC Ethics Commission has contacted Brazilian courts to ask for information about a corruption investigation concerning the 2009 vote that awarded the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC stripped Lamine Diack, the former president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), of his IOC honorary membership in November 2015 when evidence was produced, indicating that he and his son, Papa Massata Diack were involved in a scandal for receiving payments in return for votes "over the designation of host cities for the biggest global sporting events."

The IOC session will be held from September 13 to 16 here with the vote to confirm the host cities for the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games as the highlight.

--IANS

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