Doha, Sep 27 (IANS): The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) will monitor illegal betting during the World Athletics Championships in Doha that will begin on Friday and continue till October 6.

"It is AIU's responsibility to proactively combat all forms of corruption and ethical misconduct in athletics and that includes illegitimate betting practices and competition manipulation related to such activities," Xinhua news agency quoted AIU Chairman David Howman as saying.

According to Howman, the AIU will cooperate with the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, the Council of Europe's Copenhagen Group and Sportradar.

With the assistance of these partners, the AIU will be monitoring betting markets, identifying betting patterns and any betting anomalies, in order to prevent or identify any market manipulation and if necessary, carry out disciplinary proceedings under the Integrity Code of Conduct.

"The risk in athletics is currently low relative to some other sports, but with growth in key betting markets our activities are designed to get ahead of the curve and discourage unethical behaviour in our sport before it takes place," added Howman.

The AIU has educated athletes and their support personnel on the matter ahead of the world championships.

The AIU was founded by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2017 to combat doping in athletics. The unit works independently from the IAAF.