London 2012: IOC begins Olympics tickets investigation

The International Olympic Committee has begun an investigation into claims that Olympics officials and agents breached rules on London 2012 ticket sales.

The IOC has held an emergency meeting of its ruling executive board via conference call after claims by the Sunday Times.

The IOC has referred the allegations to its independent ethics commission.

The organisation could also review how Olympic tickets are distributed among member countries.

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, says BBC Sports News correspondent James Pearce.

The newspaper alleges that its two-month investigation found corruption involving people representing 54 separate countries.

More than one million London 2012 tickets were distributed abroad among all the nations taking part in the Games, but the IOC has strict rules to try to combat touts.

National Olympic committees must ensure that their allocation is only sold within their own region.

Undercover reporters from the Sunday Times posed as Middle Eastern ticket touts, and were offered deals from various countries.

Last month a senior Ukrainian Olympic official resigned after being filmed by the BBC offering tickets for cash.

The IOC said in a statement: "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.

"The IOC takes these allegations very seriously and has immediately taken the first steps to investigate.

"Should any irregularities be proven, the organisation will deal with those involved in an appropriate manner.

"The NOCs are autonomous organisations, but if any of the cases are confirmed the IOC will not hesitate to impose the strongest sanctions.

"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."

London 2012 organising committee Locog said it would support the IOC in its investigation "in any way we can".

"Rules and regulations for selling London 2012 tickets to international fans are clear and unambiguous," it said.

No tickets intended for the British market were involved, it added.