FIFA, Interpol Target Corruption; IOC Peace Forum; 2012 Ticket Payments

FIFA and Interpol Launch Anti-Corruption Unit

FIFA signs an agreement with Interpol providing $29 million over 10 years to fight illegal betting and match-fixing.

A new FIFA anti-corruption unit will be created in the Interpol Global Complex in Singapore as part of Monday's deal.

The announcement by FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Interpol secretary general Ronald K. Noble was made at the headquarters of world football's governing body in Zurich. Under the agreement, Interpol will receive $5.7 million in each of the first two years, followed by $2.1 million in each of the following eight.

The initiative is a conscious effort by FIFA to target illegal and irregular betting and match-fixing specifically in Asia, with the scale of the problem highlighted by recent fixing allegations and the involvement of Asian gambling syndicates.

Interpol's global law enforcement network estimates that illegal football gambling is worth hundreds of millions of US dollars in Asia alone each year.

FIFA said in a statement that its anti-corruption unit will provide cutting-edge training, education and prevention to protect the sport, the players and the fans from fraud and corruption.

"The threat of match-fixing in sport is a major one, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to tackle this threat," said Blatter.

"In the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing, the preventive measures that can be taken and the protection of the players and the integrity of the game are of the utmost importance. Joint work with the authorities and with Interpol is crucial for success, and for this reason we are very pleased to announce this contribution today, which will further enhance our cooperation."

During Monday's press conference, FIFA also announced the creation of an internal Betting Integrity Investigation Task Force, which will comprise members of its legal division and security department, as well as the Early Warning System GmbH.

"Match-fixing shakes the very foundations of sport, namely fair play, respect and discipline. That’s why FIFA employs a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any infringement of these values," Blatter added.

Noble hailed FIFA’s commitment to keeping football clean. "By funding a long-term corruption prevention training programme to be designed and implemented by Interpol to counter trans-national organised crime’s attempts to corrupt the sport and its players, officials and administrators,FIFA has taken a significant step towards ensuring the integrity of football worldwide," he said.

Interpol, which has 188 member countries, has co-ordinated several successful operations targeting illegal gambling in Asia.During the 2010 World Cup, an operation involving police across China, including Hong Kong and Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand resulted in the arrest of more than 5,000 individuals. Raids were conducted on nearly 800 illegal gambling dens which had handled more than $155 million worth of bets.

Rogge Chairs Sport, Peace and Development Meeting

IOC president Jacques Rogge and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon are the keynote speakers at the second edition of the International Forum on Sport, Peace and Development, beginning Tuesday in Geneva.

Mario Pescante,chairman of the IOC’s international relations commission, and Britain's Olympics and sports minister Hugh Robertson are other high-profile attendees at the meeting taking place at UN headquarters.

Sochi 2014 president Dmitry Chernyshenko delivers a presentation Tuesday, while Prince Faisal of Jordan, founder of Generations for Peace, is scheduled to speak to delegates on the final day.

There are five conference sessions spread over the two days, including one on sport as a catalyst for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and another on developing a culture of peace through sport.

On Monday, Rogge opened the International Olympic Truce Foundation Board meeting in Lausanne.

Later this month, the IOC will launch a new website for the foundation, designed to be a platform for the exchange of ideas and initiatives.

2012 Ticketing Cash Withdrawals

London 2012 organizers confirmed Monday that money will not be debited from bank accounts for Olympic tickets for another week.

LOCOG had originally indicated that money would start to be removed from accounts beginning Tuesday.

All payments will be taken by June 24.

Olympics organizers have issued several reminders to ticket applicants to ensure they have enough money in their accounts and on their credit cards to cover the costs should they be successful in securing the prized tickets.

London 2012 officials have been busy processing more than 20 million Olympic ticket requests since the April 27 deadline for applications. Around 1.8 million people applied for the 6.6. million tickets on sale.

Written by Mark Bisson