CARTAGENA, Colombia (AFP) - The committee preparing the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio signed an agreement on Monday with Interpol, to cooperate in the fight against illegal betting and counterfeiting of tickets and merchandise.

The deal was signed at the Interpol annual meeting in Colombia between the head of games security Luiz Fernando Correa and the police agency's secretary-general Ronald Noble.

"Interpol has a policy of protecting the integrity of sport and that includes addressing various illegal activities," Correa told journalists.

Neither side released the text of the agreement, which had been under negotiation for nearly a year.