Olympics-IOC calls for common front against match-fixing

By Karolos Grohmann

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Dec 12 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge called on Wednesday for a united front with the international sports federations to combat the problem of match-fixing.

Illegal betting and match-fixing allegations have afflicted soccer, tennis and cricket.

"This is something we have to address," Rogge told reporters after an executive board meeting. "The purpose of the IOC is to have a common approach to that with all international sports federations and the national Olympic committees. This is what we did in the fight against doping."

The IOC heard on Wednesday a report from Paul Condon, a former head of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and security unit.

Rogge said Condon advised sports bodies to enforce regulations aginst illegal betting and match-fixing, educate and monitor through alliances with bona fide betting companies.

"Bona fide betting companies can give us early warning of abnormal betting patterns," Rogge said, adding a deal with a betting firm could be clinched before next year's Beijing Games if it were deemed necessary.

Condon earlier told reporters the Olympics were not a high-risk target for match-fixing and illegal betting.

"I don't see the Olympics as a particularly high-risk target," Condon said. "There is no reason based on intelligence that the Olympics are a potential target. Bad guys can go to other events,"