Olympics: Irish sailor Peter O'Leary has escaped with a warning from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after betting on a direct competitor to win at the 2008 Beijing Games.
O'Leary did not qualify for the medal race on which he gambled, but placed two bets totalling €300 on the British boat to capture gold in the Star class at odds of 12-1, and won €3,600.
"There was no proof of any match-fixing," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said today. "The athlete was unaware he could not bet on Olympic events. It is not something we agree with and we condemn it but we will not take any more action."
The IOC bars athletes from betting on Olympic events but the organisation's ethics commission said competitors in 2008 may not have been as familiar with the regulations as they are now.
News of O’Leary’s indiscretion broke just before he competed at the London Games last summer and prompted an IOC investigation.
O'Leary and team mate David Burrows finished 10th in the Star competition in London.