IOC puts up $20m to fight doping and match-fixing

The International Olympic Committee is putting up $20 million to fight doping and match-fixing - considered the two biggest threats to the credibility of the games. New IOC President Thomas Bach announced the funding projects on Saturday following an unprecedented four-day "brainstorming session" with his executive board in the Swiss resort of Montreux that focused on key issues for the future of the Olympic movement, AP reported. Bach, who was elected in September to succeed Jacques Rogge as president, has moved quickly to set his own course for the IOC and push what he calls the "Olympic Agenda 2020." The German said the board agreed to create a $10 million fund to pay for research into developing new and improved techniques for catching drug cheats. The IOC is also asking national governments to contribute the same amount to the World Anti-Doping Agency for its own research projects. Bach said the IOC wants to investigate whether there are more reliable and effective methods than standard urine and blood tests, citing testing of hair or cell samples among the possibilities.