The Belarusian Ice Hockey Association has signed a deal with Sportradar's Fraud Detection System ©Sportradar

The Belarusian Ice Hockey Association (BIHA) has signed a deal with Sportradar's Fraud Detection System (FDS) to guard against illegal betting and match-fixing in the country.

As part of the deal, the FDS will monitor the Belarusian ExtraLiga and Ruslan Salei Cup for the next two seasons.

Focus will be placed on the "largest array of betting operators" across 720 matches.

Six-hundred-and-fifty of these will come from two seasons of the ExtraLiga, with the remainder covering the Salei Cup games.

“All leading international federations and major leagues realise the importance of accurate and credible monitoring systems to protect the reputation of their teams, competitions and sports," said Yaraslau Zauharodni, general secretary of the BIHA.

"We have chosen Sportradar as our main partner in this matter because the company is the recognised world leader in the prevention and detection of match-fixing. 

"Their services are highly trusted in the sports world and their expertise has been repeatedly acknowledged by law enforcement agencies across a range of countries. 

"The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and National Hockey League, the world’s largest ice hockey organisations, have already signed up with Sportradar. 

The world's largest ice hockey organisations have already signed up to Sportradar ©Getty Images
The world's largest ice hockey organisations have already signed up to Sportradar ©Getty Images

"We have become their first partner at the national league level in the European market. 

"It is important to note that the beginning of our cooperation does not mean that there have been any violations during games of the Belarusian Championship, but that the Federation primarily strives to prevent potential threats and secure the clubs and fans against possible risks. 

"I am sure that other leading European leagues will follow our example soon."

The BIHA was founded in March 1992 and the country became a member of the IIHF later that year.

Sportradar’s managing director of integrity services Andreas Krannich said: “We are now building a bit of momentum and a reputation in the ice hockey world, in the wake of our work with the International Ice Hockey Federation and the North American NHL, so it is great to see another critical ice hockey nation sign up to our award-winning Fraud Detection System. 

"The FDS is completely tailored to the context, markets and idiosyncrasies in Belarusian ice hockey and we look forward to working with Mr Zauharodni and his team over the coming seasons." 

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the International Olympic Committee and Sportradar to allow the sharing of information regarding sports betting and the integrity of sports competitions in November.