IOC begins probe into ‘black marketing’ in London Olympics ticket sales

London: The International Olympic Committee has begun an investigation into claims that Olympics officials and agents breached rules during the sale of the London 2012 tickets.

The IOC has held an emergency meeting of its ruling executive board via conference call after claims by the Sunday Times, and has also referred the allegations to its independent ethics commission. “The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has moved quickly to deal with allegations that some National Olympic Committees (NOC) and Authorised Ticket Resellers (ATR) have broken rules relating to the sale of Olympic tickets,” IOC said in a statement. “The IOC takes these allegations very seriously and has immediately taken the first steps to investigate,” it added. The Sunday Times submitted a dossier of evidence detailing claims that Olympic officials and agents had been caught selling thousands of tickets on the black market for up to 10 times their face value. The organisation could also review how Olympic tickets are distributed among member countries. “The IOC has also determined that it will take on board any recommendations coming out of the inquiry to improve the way that tickets are allocated and sold internationally in the future,” the statement said. London 2012 organising committee LOCOG said it would support the IOC in its investigation in any way they can. ANI