News and Media

News

IWF teams up with IOC to reinforce fight against illegal betting

IWF has reasserted its commitment to fighting illegal betting, match-fixing and corruption in sport by signing up to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS).

As an intelligence-sharing digital platform, IBIS will enable the IWF and its Member Federations to access an extensive network of monitoring and data-sharing across sports, event owners and the major sports betting entities.

The objectives set out by the IOC through the implementation of IBIS are three-fold:

1. To safeguard sports from the threat connected to illegal sports betting

2. To support international federations and multi-sport event organisers with intelligence and information exchange

3. To create a framework for transparency, confidentiality and trust across all users

The IWF joins the seven Olympic winter sports federations and a growing number of Olympic summer sports federations (e.g. BWF, FIBA, FIVB, IRB, ITF, ITTF, UCI) which have already joined IBIS in view of the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said: “The IOC applauds IWF for signing up to the IOC’s initiative for clean competitions – the ‘Integrity Betting Intelligence System’ (IBIS). IBIS will be in place not only for the weightlifting competitions at the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games, but also for IWF’s major tournaments.”

He added: “IBIS was successfully in operation for the first time during the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi last year with all Olympic Winter IFs taking part in the project. The objective is now to integrate all Olympic Summer IFs in the run-up to the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio.”

Attila Ádámfi, IWF Director General said: „The IWF wishes to convey its congratulations to the IOC for this proactive initiative safeguarding sports integrity. As one of the oldest IFs in the Olympic Movement, the IWF supports all cooperation opportunities ensuring a clean environment for athletes. The 2015 IWF World Championships Houston, USA will be the first event implementing the sytem.”