The International Olympic Committee is to introduce a widespead gambling ban at the London 2012 events in an attempt to prevent the match-fixing scandals which have blighted cricket and football.
The ban will apply to all 11,000 athletes, their coaches and support staff, VIPs and accredited politicians and journalists. It will also cover anybody who has access to inside information of the sporting competition or competing athletes.
The IOC hopes the tougher stance will help combat illegal and irregular betting, which President Jacques Rogge has called the biggest threat to the credibility and integrity of sport.
In his opening address at the 123rd IOC session in Durban, Rogge said there was “no room for complacency". He added: “Protecting the integrity of sport is a priority for the IOC. In all these areas, cooperation with governments is essential.”
The IOC has the authority to strip medals from competitors and ban them and their support teams from future Olympic competition if the rules are breached at any time from July 16 to Aug 15 next year.
Those who face action by the IOC disciplinary commission will be asked to hand over telephone bills, bank statements, internet service records, computers, hard drives and other electronic information storage devices.
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