Sports Media Report
Genius Sports and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have signed a landmark agreement that will see both organizations working together to fight against the manipulation of competitions related to sports betting and to protect the integrity of Olympic events.
Based on the new agreement, Genius Sports, through its Sport Integrity Monitor (SportIM) service, will support the IOC in delivering on its commitment to encourage and support the promotion of ethics in sport.
All sports competitions covered by the IOC’s Integrity Betting Intelligence System (IBIS), including the events at the Olympic Games and a range of competitions organized by International Federations (IFs) are implied in the agreement. By sharing information and best practices across these events, both organizations will be able to improve their respective areas of expertise through the use of specialist sports integrity technology.
Speaking at the signing of the agreement, 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 optimized the mechanism. We have identified responsible organizations 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 organized by the IFs.”
Genius Sports CEO Mark Locke added: “We are pleased to partner with the IOC at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and beyond. The Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of world sport and are the ultimate platform to showcase the values of excellence, friendship and respect upon which sport is built. We look forward to sharing our expertise and intelligence to aid the prevention of match manipulation in order to further safeguard the integrity of these major and extraordinary competitions.”
