Irish Olympic athlete under investigation for betting against himself (or herself)

IOC investigating Irish athlete

The International Olympic Committee has announced that they are investigating an unnamed Irish athlete who supposedly bet on an opponent in a pre-Olympic competition. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in a statement that the athlete in question “bet against themselves prior to the Olympics.”

The athlete, whose identity has not yet been released, reportedly made two bets on an event in which they were competing, placing both wagers on the same opponent at 12-1 odds and winning $4,800 (3,900 euro). Upon returning home from the event the athlete apparently withdrew most of the winnings ($4,435) from their account with a gambling operator.

Olympic Council of Ireland president Pat Hickey has said that if the reports are true the athlete will face “severe sanctions”, which could include dismissal from the summer games.

There are 66 Irish athletes competing at the London games, with female boxer Katie Taylor generally considered the country’s best hope for gold.