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SYDNEY (Reuters) - Athletes placing bets on sporting events should be named, shamed and jailed and any of Australia's Olympic athletes caught doing so will be kicked off their London 2012 team, the head of the country's Olympic committee has said.
"If the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) team membership agreements do not already make it clear that being involved in betting or gambling on the Games or providing inside information is conduct we will not tolerate, they will now," John Coates told the AOC's annual general meeting on Saturday.
"The 2012 team membership agreement is being updated to make not only betting by athletes and officials an offence but also that of disclosing any confidential information to third parties.
"Team members must also agree that the AOC can collect information on them related to such activities, and provide this information to law enforcement agencies."
Coates said he had been lobbying Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard to establish an independent national sports betting authority that is able to investigate cheating and fraudulent conduct.
He said ideally the agency would be able to "name and shame" athletes, and have the powers to investigate financial and telephone records, while also establishing minimum sentences for offences.
Australia's Minister for Sport Mark Arbib said a possible sentence for anyone caught match-fixing would be 10-years imprisonment.
"We can't put our heads in the sand, we must act and we must act soon," Arbib said.
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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"If the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) team membership agreements do not already make it clear that being involved in betting or gambling on the Games or providing inside information is conduct we will not tolerate, they will now," John Coates told the AOC's annual general meeting on Saturday.
"The 2012 team membership agreement is being updated to make not only betting by athletes and officials an offence but also that of disclosing any confidential information to third parties.
"Team members must also agree that the AOC can collect information on them related to such activities, and provide this information to law enforcement agencies."
Coates said he had been lobbying Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard to establish an independent national sports betting authority that is able to investigate cheating and fraudulent conduct.
He said ideally the agency would be able to "name and shame" athletes, and have the powers to investigate financial and telephone records, while also establishing minimum sentences for offences.
Australia's Minister for Sport Mark Arbib said a possible sentence for anyone caught match-fixing would be 10-years imprisonment.
"We can't put our heads in the sand, we must act and we must act soon," Arbib said.
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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