Tokyo, July 17 (IANS) Along with providing security and guarding against Covid-19, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also has to ensure that the Olympic Games are secured against corruption.

With the IOC launching massive efforts to reach billions of people, the increased broadcast and digital output will also attract unscrupulous elements to the Games.

The IOC has thus launched a massive operation for protecting sport's integrity in Tokyo 2020. The efforts include monitoring of sports betting in all Olympic competitions -- done since the 2008 Games in Beijing -- with help from international police organisations.

The Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC), with its partners -- namely Sportradar, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), major regulating authorities, and a large number of private sports betting companies from around the world -- will monitor sports betting on all Olympic competitions at this summer's Olympic
Games, the IOC informed its Executive Board on Saturday.

The IOC will retain a direct link with all International Federations (IFs) in order to flag any breach of the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Code PMC).

It is equipped to carry out a preliminary investigation and assist with the set-up of a Disciplinary Commission if necessary. In addition, the IOC will cooperate closely with various law enforcement authorities to address any cases where collective and joint follow-up is appropriate and necessary, the Executive Board was informed.

"During the last years, we have been working with Tokyo 2020, international police forces, and national authorities to set up the necessary processes and coordinate actions for Games time. As a sports organisation, the IOC can deal with disciplinary matters related to the Olympic Games, and we will have in place a dedicated Disciplinary Commission for cases of competition manipulation and other integrity breaches. For all criminal and security matters, we will of course rely on the Japanese authorities and their jurisdiction," Paquerette Girard Zappelli, IOC Chief Ethics, and Compliance Officer, was quoted as saying in a release.

Prevention plays a key role in IOC's fight against competition manipulation. A number of measures have thus been implemented prior to the Games and in close collaboration with the IFs and National Olympic Committees (NOCs), including robust educational awareness programmes.

--IANS bsk/kh