Betfair becomes sponsor of British Athletes Commission

The British Athletes Commission (BAC), an independent organisation representing the interest of athletes in Great Britain, has signed a three-year agreement with online betting exchange Betfair in order to educate and raise awareness about betting related issues in the sport.

The agreement establishes Betfair as the BAC’s first ever official sponsor, and follows a consultation process of elite sport by the BAC. The BAC said that it became apparent that not enough was being done to educate athletes on the potential risks posed by an increase in betting on Olympic and Paralympic sport. The BAC approached Betfair, who agreed to assist practically in addressing the problem.

The two organisations will seek to educate and raise awareness among elite athletes in all Olympic, Paralympic and world class disciplines about betting related issues and the role they can play in preventing corruption in their sports. Betfair will assist the BAC in producing educational materials as well as presenting at its annual conference.

“The BAC is delighted to announce Betfair as its first sponsor, their support will be vital in ensuring athletes receive a key strand in their ongoing education, as Olympic and Paralympic sport becomes ever more professional,” said Pete Gardner, Chief Executive of the BAC.

The BAC acts as the unified voice of all Olympic, Paralympic and world class funded athletes in Great Britain. Before becoming a separate group, the commission was part of the British Olympic Association as the British Olympic Association Athletes Commission.

“At a time when the IOC has just agreed on a series of recommendations for Olympic sport, I am delighted that the BAC will be working with Betfair to educate British athletes across all Olympic, Paralympic and World Class sports in how they can prevent corruption and protect the integrity of sport,” said Karen Pickering, BAC Chair.

David Yu, Chief Executive of Betfair added: “We are delighted to be working with the BAC, a vital step in our on-going efforts to safeguard the integrity of sport. We have seen that there are very few integrity issues when betting on sport is entirely transparent and when sportsmen and women understand the rules in place and penalties for breaking them.

“This partnership gives us a unique opportunity to work together in educating athletes about this issue in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.”