News26 Sep 2019


Athletics Integrity Unit to have wide-ranging bet monitoring during the IAAF World Athletics Championships

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A volunteer arrives at Khalifa Stadium on the eve of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 (© Getty Images)

As part of its ongoing drive to counter competition manipulation and identify when and where it may have occurred, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has set up a widescale bet monitoring operation during the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.

The monitoring and information sharing will be done in conjunction with three different partners: The International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC), the Council of Europe’s Copenhagen Group and Sportradar.

With the assistance of these partners, the AIU will be monitoring betting markets, identifying betting patterns and any betting anomalies in order to prevent or identify any market manipulation and if necessary, carry out disciplinary proceedings under the Integrity Code of Conduct.

It follows on from similar operation during the last IAAF World Athletics Championships in London two years ago with the AIU continuing to commit time and resources to this area after noting the continuing rise in the popularity of sports betting in Asia and Africa as well as the Supreme Court of the United States lifting the federal ban on sports betting in May 2018.

“It is the AIU’s responsibility to proactively combat all forms of corruption and ethical misconduct in athletics, and that includes illegitimate betting practices and competition manipulation related to such activities. The risk in athletics is currently low relative to some other sports, but with growth in key betting markets our activities are designed to get ahead of the curve and discourage unethical behaviour in our sport before it takes place,” said AIU Chairman David Howman.

The AIU has also created awareness on the matter and the ways of preventing manipulation of competition by educating the athletes and their support personnel in the lead up to the championships in Doha. The participating teams will get onsite advice and information from the AIU at its outreach and education booth Athletics Integrity Hub, that is operational at the team hotels in Doha.

AIU for the IAAF

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