LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee has partnered with sports betting and gaming technology company Genius Sports in a move designed to clamp down on betting-related corruption within sport.
The multi-year agreement will cover all competitions included in the IOC’s Integrity Betting Intelligence System which comprises the Olympic Games and a host of other events organised by various International Federations.
Genius Sports will use its Sport Integrity Monitor (SportIM) service to keep track of any suspicious betting patterns that take place during events, beginning with the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which take place from August 5-21.
Anything unusual will be reported to the respective governing body, which will then decide on whether or not further action is required.
Genius Sports said in a statement that the aim of the partnership is “to fight against the manipulation of competitions related to sports betting and to protect the integrity of Olympic events.”
The IOC’s chief ethics and compliance officer, Pâquerette Girard Zappelli, said: “In 2013, we launched our Intelligence Betting Integrity System to collate alerts and information on match manipulation and, ever since, we have further optimised the mechanism.
“We have identified responsible organisations that can assist our global effort to prevent corruption and are delighted about our new partnership with Genius Sports. They will provide added value by making available their specialist skills, knowledge and technological expertise during the Olympic Games and other major sporting competitions organised by the IFs.”
The IOC partnership adds to Genius Sports’ portfolio of international federations and professional leagues, which includes the International Basketball Federation, Major League Baseball, English Premier League, Spanish LaLiga, Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association.
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