The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set up a whistleblowers hotline in a bid to protect "clean athletes".

The web-based "Integrity and Compliance Hotline" will allow athletes, coaches, referees and members of the public to report instances of match-fixing and other violations that call into question the integrity of the particular sport.

Callers are guaranteed 100 per cent anonymity and a statement from the IOC said "anyone can report suspicious approaches or activities related to competition manipulation and/or infringements of the IOC Code of Ethics or other matters – including financial misconduct or other legal, regulatory and ethical breaches – over which the IOC has jurisdiction."

The new system was announced at an IOC summit on sports integrity in Lausanne, which was chaired by the body's president Thomas Bach.

"The ultimate goal of all this is to protect the clean athletes and to give them, as far as we can, fair competition," Bach said.

"Athletes and everyone concerned can turn to the IOC. They can serve as whistleblowers and serve as witnesses with their suspicions about any kind of infringement.

"The hotline guarantees the secrecy of information. We will even accept anonymous indications."