International Olympic Committee : News

IOC passes stringent rules on betting for Sochi

2/12/2013 6:25:00 PM

Recent cases across different sports have illustrated once again that irregular and illegal betting erodes the integrity and credibility of sport and jeopardises its healthy development. The IOC has been aware of the threat for some time.

Harmonisation of rules

Since 2006, the IOC’s Code of Ethics has forbid all participants in the Olympic Games from betting on Olympic events. The rules of application passed for Sochi build on those in place for London 2012, but take into account existing regulations for International Federations in an attempt to harmonise the approach of different stakeholders.

Read the full text of the rules here

Cross-stakeholder Working Group

In recent years, the IOC has increasingly reached out to sports bodies, governments, police authorities, and legal betting operators to help fight irregular and illegal betting. In 2011 it established a dedicated Working Group to bring all these stakeholders around one table, define a common approach and position and raise awareness of the issue.

Since then, the Working Group has focused on three main areas: education; monitoring, intelligence and analysis; and legislation and regulations. One year ago, it issued specific recommendations that aim to align the activities of all stakeholders. Its next meeting is scheduled for May when the IOC will present its work with the Council of Europe on an international Convention against Manipulation of Sports Results and notably Match-fixing. The Convention would be a binding instrument open to both European and non-European countries aimed at suppressing the manipulation of sports results, an activity which continues to grow across the world.

“Extremely serious issue”

IOC President Jacques Rogge said today: “While no irregular betting activities have been detected at an Olympic Games, we feel that we need to be vigilant and ensure that measures are in place to limit the potential effect that irregular betting activities could have on the Games. As recent cases show, irregular and illegal betting is a global phenomenon and no sport, elite or otherwise, is immune from this scourge. It is an extremely serious issue that threatens the very integrity of sport. This is why it is at the top of our agenda and we will convene our working group on 14 May to continue our joint efforts.”

Directions Concerning the Election of the IOC President

12/8/2011 7:14:00 PM

The IOC Executive Board has approved an update of the Directions Concerning the Election of the IOC President. The Directions apply from the date of their publication until the end of the electoral campaign.

Rules of Conduct 2020

4/11/2011 8:00:00 AM

At its meeting in London on 5 April, the IOC Executive Board adopted the new version of the Rules of Conduct Applicable to all Cities Wishing to Organise the Olympic Games. These Rules will come into force on 11 April 2011 for cities wishing to host the Olympic Games in 2020 and beyond.

Download the Rules of Conduct 2020 here.

Update of IOC Code of Ethics

11/9/2010 5:30:00 PM

Following the recommendations of the XIII Olympic Congress, the IOC Executive Board approved two updates on the IOC Code of Ethics during its meeting on 26 October 2010 in Acapulco, Mexico. In the preamble, the Code now calls on the International Federations and Recognised Organisations to adopt a Code of Ethics. Furthermore the Code now also obliges all Olympic Movement constituents to respect the basic universal principles of good governance. Full text here.

Decisions

9/2/2008 12:00:00 AM

It must be pointed out that the Ethics Commission takes only conclusions and recommendations, which it submits to the IOC Executive Board. When it is seized of a complaint or a denunciation, the Ethics Commission undertakes a confidential investigation. A report is presented to the members of the Commission and, after deliberation, a decision is adopted by the means of conclusions and recommendations. This decision is delivered to the IOC Executive Board, through the IOC President, and remains confidential until the IOC Executive Board has reached a decision.

The conclusions and recommendations of the IOC Ethics Commission published hereafter were approved by the IOC Executive Board.

Decisions carrying recommendations met by the ethics commission:

Concerning the IOC Members
Decision n° 1/02 dated 07.05.02
Mr Mohamad (Bob) Hasan - Decision by the 116th IOC Session, Athens, 10.08.04, to expel Mr Mohamad (Bob) Hasan from the IOC.

Decision n° 1/04 dated 22.01.04:
Mr Un Yong Kim - [Provisional deprivation of all rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from the membership of the IOC, following criminal proceedings].

Decision n° 3/04 dated 06.08.04
Mr Ivan Slavkov - Decision by the IOC Executive Board, Athens, 07.08.04, to provisionally suspend Mr Ivan Slavkov from the IOC.

Decision n° 5/04 dated 25.10.04
Mr Ivan Slavkov - Decision by the 117th IOC Session, Singapore, 07.07.05, to expel Mr Ivan Slavkov from the IOC.

Decision n° 1/05 dated 04.02.05
Mr Un Yong Kim - Decision by Mr Un Yong Kim, 20.05.05, to resign his IOC membership.

Decision n° 2/05 dated 11.04.05
Mr Yoshiaki Tsutsumi - [Provisional deprivation of all rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from his honour membership of the IOC, following criminal proceedings] – Decision by Mr Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, 25.04.05, to resign his honour membership of the IOC.

Decision n° 6/05 dated 29.11.05
Mr Guy Drut - [Provisional deprivation of all rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from the membership of the IOC, following criminal proceedings].

Decision n° 7/05 dated 25.11.05
Mr Yong Sung Park - [Defer making a recommendation decision].

Decision n° 1/06 dated 11.02.06
Mr Yong Sung Park - [Provisional deprivation of all rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from the membership of the IOC, following criminal proceedings].

Decision n° 2/06 dated 15.06.06
Mr Guy Drut - [Reprimand and suspension of the right to chair any IOC commission for five years].

Decision n° 3/06 dated 05.09.06
Mr Yong Sung Park - [Recommendation to maintain the provisional measure adopted on 11.02.06].

Decision n° 4/06 dated 15.12.06
Mr Franco Carraro - [Decision of no recommendation to the IOC Executive Board].

Decision n° 1/07 dated 02.02.07
Mr Lance Armstrong v/ WADA, Mr Richard Pound - Decision by the IOC Executive Board, Lausanne, 07.02.07, to approve the IOC Ethics Commission conclusion and recommendation.

Decision n°2/07 dated 20.03.07

Mr Yong Sung Park – [Reprimand and suspension of the right to sit on any IOC commission for five years].

Decision n° 3/07 dated 30.10.07
Mr Henri Sérandour - [Reprimand and suspension of the right to sit on any IOC commission for five years].

Decision n°1/08 dated 21.01.08
Mr Floyd Landis v/ Mr Richard Pound, IOC Member.

Decision n°3/08 dated 18.07.08
Mr Kun-hee Lee - Provisional measure.

Concerning the NOCs
Decision n° 1/03 dated 21.10.03
Indict / Iraqi NOC - [suspension of a NOC following extremely serious facts].

Concerning the IFs
Decision n° 3/03 dated 21.10.03
ODEPA / FIVB - [The right to sport and the right to the practise of sport must be applied without discrimination].

Decision n° 7/03 dated 21.10.03

Mr Goijman / FIVB - [Reminder of the principle: the money from sport must go to sport].

Decision n° 2/08 dated 15.02.08

Mr Nat Indrapana, IOC member and Vice-President of the World Taekwondo Federation v/Mr Jin-suk Yang, Secretary General of the World Taekwondo Federation.

Concerning a member of a NOC
Decision n° 4/04 dated 07.08.04
FIFA / Mr Farah Addo - [Provisional deprivation of all rights, prerogatives and functions deriving from the membership of the IOC, for having seriously tarnished the reputation of the Olympic Movement].

Concerning other persons
Decision n° 3/04 dated 06.08.04
BBC One Panorama - [Withdrawal of their accreditations for four «agents» (Messrs Goran Takac, Gabor Komyathy, Mahmood El Farnawani and Muttaleb Ahmad) during the Games of the XXVIII. Olympiad for facts having seriously tarnished the reputation of the Olympic Movement]. On 7 August 2004, the IOC Executive Board moreover declared these “agents” personae non gratae within the Olympic Movement and recommended to all the members of the Olymic family not to provide them with accreditations nor to deal with them.

Decision dated 16.02.06
Mr Pat Beldotti, Turin 2006 Olympic Games Ethiopian NOC Chef de Mission - [Expulsion from the Olympic Games in Turin and exclusion from all future Olympic Games; withdrawal of his accreditation with immediate effect] – C.A.S. decision dated 07.11.06, to limit the expulsion to 2008 and 2010 Olympic Games.

Decision n° 4/07 dated 7.12.07
Mr John Krimsky - [Resignation from all his functions within the IOC Olympic Philately, Numismatics and Memorabilia Commission].

Rules on betting linked to the Olympic Games

7/8/2011 5:30:00 PM

During its meeting in Durban (South Africa) on 4 July 2011, the IOC Executive Board approved rules concerning the prohibition on betting linked to the Olympic Games and any form of cheating affecting the course and or the results of Olympic competitions in the context of betting.

These rules will apply to all participants in the London 2012 Olympic Games and can be read in full here: "Rules for the application during the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London of Articles A.5 and A.6 of the Code of Ethics”.

Rules – Betting – Beijing Olympic Games

6/5/2008 12:00:00 AM

On 5 June 2008, the IOC Executive Board approved the Rules for the Application during the Olympic Games in Beijing of Article A.5 of the Code of Ethics concerning the prohibition on Betting to the Olympic Games.

5. Rules for the application during the Olympic Games in Beijing of Article A.5 of the Code of Ethics concerning the prohibition on betting linked to the Olympic Games

Sports Movement agrees on unified strategy to tackle irregular betting

6/24/2010 5:56:00 PM

Under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the sports movement today agreed on a series of recommendations aimed at protecting and maintaining the integrity of sport if and when put at risk by irregular betting.

These recommendations, which will serve as guidelines for all stakeholders involved, call for prevention, education and information for all involved in sport, as well as increased collaboration with governments.

Gathered in Lausanne to look at the current opportunities and challenges posed by betting in sport, representatives of the IOC, International Sports Federations (IFs), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the betting sector and public authorities held constructive discussions throughout the day.

IOC President Jacques Rogge, who opened the seminar, said: “It is clear that betting, through the financial benefits it generates, provides huge opportunities to sports organisations. However, there is a significant problem when betting leads to the manipulation of competitions and therefore threatens the integrity of sport. Cheating driven by betting is undoubtedly the biggest threat to sport after doping.”

“For the sports movement it is crucial to develop a unified strategy and to collaborate closely with public authorities and the legal gambling industry. Only then will we be able to address efficiently this complex issue,” Rogge concluded.

The seminar held in Lausanne today focused on the economic and legal aspects of the financing of sports organisations through betting activities as well as on finding solutions to combat the risks inherent to irregular betting.

The IOC has approached the topic of irregular betting in a preventive way to protect the Olympic Games. The IOC requires that all athletes, coaches, officials and journalists agree not to engage in Olympic-related betting or promote betting companies during the Games. The IOC Code of Ethics also prohibits betting on any Olympic competition by IOC members, IOC staff or any accredited IF and Olympic Games Organising Committee personnel.

For the Games of the Olympiad in Beijing in 2008 and the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver last February, the IOC set up a dedicated monitoring system. No irregular betting patterns were reported during these events.

Today’s seminar produced a list of recommendations that address the necessary actions to be taken by the IOC, the IFs and the NOCs.

The constituents of the Olympic Movement are asked to adopt internal legislation to safeguard the integrity of the athletes, their entourage and officials, and to put in place educational measures for these groups.

The Olympic Movement will also study the possibility of creating a harmonised monitoring system of irregular betting in sport.

Read here the full text of the recommendations.

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Death of Judge Kéba Mbaye, IOC Honorary Member since 2002

1/12/2007 12:00:00 AM

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was deeply saddened to learn of the death last night of Judge Kéba Mbaye, aged 82.

Born in Kaolack (Senegal) in 1924, and a former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Kéba Mbaye had been President of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) since 1983 and Chairman of the IOC Ethics Commission since 1999.

An IOC member from 1973 to 2002, Kéba Mbaye was also an IOC Vice-President (1988-1992, 1998-2002) and an Executive Board member (1984-1988, 1993-1998). He chaired numerous commissions, including Apartheid and Olympism (1989-1992), Sport and Law (1995-2002), Juridical (1993-2002) and Nominations (2000-2002).

A man of letters and the law, he was the author of works such as “Les réalités du monde noir et les Droits de l’Homme” (Realities of the Black World and Human Rights), “Les droits de l’Homme en Afrique” (Human Rights in Africa), and “le CIO et l’Afrique du Sud – Analyse et illustration d’une politique sportive humaniste” (The IOC and South Africa – Analysis and Illustration of a Humanist Sports Policy).

“Kéba Mbaye was one of those men whose humanity and charisma mark you for life”, said the IOC President, who is today concluding his first trip of the year to Africa. “Thanks to his extraordinary eloquence, he could communicate his love of Olympism and his unshakeable faith in humanity and its ability to build a better world. His devotion to the Olympic Movement and its values was unfailing. We have lost a great man,” he added.

The IOC has expressed its deepest sympathy to the Judge’s family.

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For more information, contact the IOC Communications Department, tel.: +41 21 621 6111, email: pressoffice@olympic.org.

IOC decision on Mr Guy Drut

6/15/2006 12:00:00 AM

The President also confirmed that the IOC Executive Board today decided to approve the Ethics Commission's recommendations relating to the case of Mr Guy Drut.

The IOC Executive Board today decided :

1. that Mr Guy Drut, IOC member, has disregarded the ethical principles set out in the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, has tarnished the reputation of the Olympic Movement and was thereby in breach of the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics;

2. pursuant to Rule 23.1.1* of the Olympic Charter, to impose the following combination of sanctions on Mr Guy Drut:

a) a reprimand; and

b) a suspension of the right to chair any IOC commission for five years.

Click here for the full text of the IOC Ethics Commission’s recommendation.