Lausanne: In a press release sent in the afternoon today, the International Olympic Committee has announced sanctions on three athletes for betting during Olympic competitions in Rio 2016.
An activity listed as a threat to the integrity of sport at the Olympic Games, which is a top priority for the Premier Olympic Body; means these athletes have sought a severe reprimand. The Olympics top body, in conjugation with the other stakeholders of Olympic movement have put a number of sound measures in place during the Olympic Games Rio 2016, both in the Olympic Village and behind-the-scenes to restrict any such activities from happening.
During the Olympic Games Rio 2016, IOC had established 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) and, for the first time, the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions was implemented. Under these measures, the participating athletes are not permitted to bet on Olympic events and are obliged to report any approach or suspicion of manipulation.
The three athletes have been sanctioned by IOC Disciplinary Commissions for violating the Rio 2016 Rules on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, but since there was no intent to manipulate any event, the athletes have been issued severe reprimands and obliged to follow and contribute to various integrity educational programmes only.
Earlier, it was found that Irish Michael John Conlan (24) who participated in the men’s bantamweight (56kg), Irish Steve Gerard Donnelly (27) who participated the men’s welterweight (69kg) and Antony Fowler (25) who participated in the men’s middleweight (75kg), all in Olympic Boxing event, placed bets on various boxing events at the Rio 2016 Summer Games.
In lieu of the charges and following the process, the IOC Disciplinary Commission, consisting of Denis Oswald (Chairman), Angela Ruggiero and Karl Stoss, decided the following:
- The athletes are required to demonstrate, in order to have his accreditation validated for the next edition of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, in the event that he is eligible for that competition, that he has successfully followed the educational programme of the IOC; are required to support, through active participation, the education programmes organised by either the Olympic Council of Ireland, AIBA or the IOC.
- The NOCs (Ireland and Britain): are sanctioned with a reprimand for not having properly informed its athletes about the different rules applicable to them on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Rio, as well as about the content of the contract signed with them; is requested to make sure that the team preparation for the Olympic Games (winter and summer) includes complete education on the prevention of the manipulation of competitions and betting on the Olympic Games, using the material provided to the NOCs by the IOC.
- AIBA: is recommended to make sure that its rules and regulations for its own competitions are compliant with the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions and to put in place education programmes on the prevention of the manipulation of competitions and betting on the Olympic Games, using the material provided to the IFs by the IOC.
In December last year, the IOC Executive Board had approved the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions to be implemented at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and is currently being integrated into all International Sports Federations’ regulations.