New Australia sports watchdog to target cheats

SYDNEY: Australia on Tuesday unveiled a new national integrity body to tackle cheating and corruption in sport in the wake of a ball-tampering “sandpapergate” scandal that rocked cricket. The new watchdog, Sport Integrity Australia, will combine the powers of three existing agencies, including the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), to better investigate doping, match-fixing, illegal betting, organised crime and corruption. “We have seen the massive fall-out from the cricket ball-tampering scandal and the loss of belief in our national cricket team and we are determined to prevent incidents like this from happening,” Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie said in a statement. “Australian sports lovers deserve to know that the sport they watch and the teams they support are competing on a level playing field and playing fairly,” she said.