Olympic leaders adopt new rules on gambling and match-fixing

Olympic leaders have taken another step to combat the cheating and corruption that have become a grave concern in international sport.

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday published a new code that addresses such activities as gambling and match-fixing.

“We must do everything we can to protect the millions of clean athletes around the world,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. “Protecting them goes hand-in-hand with ensuring the environment in which the athletes operate is safe from corrupting influences.”

Surprisingly, no unified code had previously existed. The IOC took its action in response to renewed allegations of bribery in soccer and widespread doping in track and field.

Earlier this year, the committee called for doping control in all countries to be centralized within the World Anti-Doping Agency and recommended that cases be adjudicated by the international Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The new ethical regulations, which take effect at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, specifically prohibit athletes from betting on Olympic events, throwing competitions and providing inside information to gamblers.

Bach has called on national Olympic committees and other related organizations to adopt the rules immediately.

“Today’s publication of the code is an important first step in fighting manipulation in sport,” he said.