Intelligence activities and betting monitoring at Milano Cortina 2026

Based on long experience in safeguarding the integrity of the Olympic Games, the OM Unit PMC once again ensured 24/7 monitoring of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The Unit was supported by a robust and well-trusted network of partners, including betting operators, betting regulators, intergovernmental authorities, law enforcement authorities, such as INTERPOL and EUROPOL, and the Council of Europe’s Group of Copenhagen.

The IOC and the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee also established a Join Integrity Unit (JIU). The JIU was operational from the opening until the closing of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Villages (30 January - 24 February 2026), and allowed for timely and effective information-sharing on potential cases of wrongdoing, including competition manipulation, with the relevant Italian authorities, such as betting regulator ADM.

The Unit actively monitored all betting movements that appeared outside normal parameters. It was standing ready to analyse any information received or any reports via the IOC Integrity Hotline and ensured that the IOC was on top of any information that might suggest a breach of the rules. All pieces of information received were carefully analysed, and it was confirmed that there was no nefarious intention, nor any suspicion of competition manipulation identified.

As part of this process, the Unit was in constant contact with sports betting entities, to further understand the recent trends and betting volumes around winter sports. The estimated betting turnover around Milano Cortina 2026 was EUR 861 million, a more-than 20 per cent increase compared to the last edition of the Winter Games.

Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC, noted: “We wouldn’t have been able to make this intelligence work happen at the Games without the priceless contribution of all our monitoring and intelligence partners. Our small Unit heavily relies on their continuous support.

“As always during Games time, we were 24/7 on alert to be able to identify, analyse and follow up any possibility of an integrity breach. We are pleased to confirm that there was nothing suspicious during the Games from a PMC perspective,” he added.

“A big thank-you goes out to all our partners involved in the monitoring and intelligence work. Especially I want to mention the Italian authorities and notably the Italian Regulating Authority for sports betting, ADM, as well as the Italian National Olympic Committee, CONI, for the great cooperation. Last but not least, a big word of appreciation is due to our long-standing monitoring partners, the International Betting Integrity Agency (IBIA), the United Lotteries for the Integrity of Sport (ULIS) and Sportradar. Once again, our cooperation has been priceless, and we count on all these partners for the next editions of the Games.”

Andreas Krannich, EVP, Integrity and Regulatory Services, Sportradar said: “Supporting the Olympic Movement to help keep the Olympic Games clean has always been a privilege for us, and we look forward to working with the IOC again in the future.”

The IBIA’s CEO, Khalid Ali, commented: “In one more edition of the Olympic Games, IBIA and its members supported the active monitoring throughout the Games. We were in direct contact with the OM Unit’s team on a 24/7 basis. Building upon years of experience in cooperating with the sports sector, the regulated betting industry was glad to once again show its commitment to clean sports competitions.”

ULIS Secretary General Luca Esposito added: “Lotteries and sport have been working closely together for many years, and we naturally see it as our duty to support the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions with intelligence during the Games. For more than a decade, we have been working together to safeguard the integrity of the Olympic Games, and we look forward to continuing this cooperation in the future.”