Behind the scenes at the 2010 Olympics
.DoNotDisplay { display: none; }Safe bet IOC will monitor gambling at Vancouver 2010

The murky world of gambling and match-fixing is spreading to the Olympic playing field.

According to the UK-based www.gamblingcompliance.com, the International Olympic Committee will, for the first time, monitor betting patterns on Olympic sports in Beijing this summer.

Apparently, worried by match-fixing in other sports, the IOC has signed a deal to implement the same early warning system used by football’s governing body FIFA to track betting on World Cup qualifying games.

This seems to be a reaction to news that for the 2008 OIympics, European and UK-based bookmakers say they are looking forward to offering more markets on more Olympic sports than ever before.

It's not clear, however, what sort of odds bookies like Ladbrokes or William Hill are offering on whether pro-Tibet protesters will mar the Olympic opening ceremonies or the running of the marathon, which starts in Tiananmen Square.

But given the way sports like tennis and soccer have had their images tarnished by match-fixing scandals -- Russian No. 1 Nikolay Davydenko is still under a cloud -- the IOC has a point.

While Canadians don't have a reputation for the kind of mania for gambling seen in the UK, Australia and Asia, with online gambling taking off, Vancouver 2010 will see its share of bets being laid worldwide.

And the IOC is sure to be watching.

After all, a skater who falls in a short track speed skating event is a common enough sight. But unless its tied to an unusual spike in gambling activity, it would be hard to pin it on match fixing.