New measures in place as IOC fights for clean sport at Rio Games

A number of new measures have been put in place for the Rio Olympic Games, both in the Olympic Village and behind-the-scenes, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is determined to protect the integrity of sport, an official said.

These measures include a fully operational Joint Integrity Intelligence Unit (JIIU) in collaboration with experts from the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, as well as a reinforced Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS), reports Xinhua.

The JIIU will be responsible for the prevention, monitoring and assessment of any unethical activity related to the Olympic Games, and will be supported by the Department of Federal Police (DPF) and the Secretariat of Security for Major Events (SESGE) as well as Interpol when needed, such as in the event of a criminal act.

"During the last months, we have been working closely with international police forces, the Brazilian police and the Rio 2016 organisers to set up the necessary processes and coordinate actions for Games time.

"As a sports organisation, the IOC can deal with disciplinary matters related to the Olympic Games; however, we will then rely on the Brazilian authorities and their jurisdiction for criminal and security matters," said Paquerette Girard Zappelli, IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer.

The JIIU is building on the experience gathered during London 2012, when the IOC operated a Joint Assessment Unit with the UK Gambling Commission -- a system that proved successful.

The IOC's Integrity Betting Intelligence System, a mechanism for the exchange of information and intelligence related to sports betting, will be a tool for the JIIU to prevent Olympic events from competition manipulation.

Betting operators and regulators that have signed agreements with the IOC will be responsible for monitoring betting activity during the Games and alerting the IOC directly when suspicious activity is detected.

The system was reinforced recently with an enhanced monitoring and information exchange between law enforcement agencies, sports organisations and betting operators/regulators. All the Olympic Summer International Federations have signed up to IBIS.

Furthermore, the JIIU will be able to rely on the Interpol Major Event Support Team (IMEST), which is deployed to assist member countries in the preparation, coordination and implementation of security arrangements for major events. The IOC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Interpol in January 2014.

Since then, the two organisations have widened the scope of joint activities, including close collaboration during the Olympic Games.

Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, has reiterated the IOC's commitment and drive to protect clean athletes and the integrity of sport.

A number of measures have thus been initiated and implemented, including robust educational awareness programs to protect Olympic events from any kind of manipulation.

The integrity eLearning platform, which is operational for the first time in Rio, challenges athletes and officials' awareness of the fight against the manipulation of competitions.

More importantly, it teaches them the role they can play in protecting themselves and in preserving the integrity of their sport and competitions.

Featuring real-life scenarios, this eLearning is available to athletes in the Olympic Village's IOC Space, on their Samsung mobile phone as well as online at: www.olympic.org/integrityelearning in 10 languages.

--IANS

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