The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the punishment of five athletes for violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). These infractions are related to a case from 2023, involving a Belgian group specializing in match-fixing.
The group’s leader, Grigor Sargsyan, was sentenced to five years in prison. The five tennis players admitted participation in the violations and accepted the sanctions imposed, waiving their right to a hearing before an Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer.
Punishments
The accusations include manipulating results between 2017 and 2018. The irregularities committed by the athletes involve receiving money to deliver matches, facilitating bets and not reporting cases of corruption.
Punishments were defined as follows:
- Iván Endara: Five-year suspension and fine of US$15,000. The suspension began on July 26, 2024.
- Mauricio Reséndiz Domínguez: Five-year suspension and fine of US$15,000. The suspension began on July 15, 2024.
- Raúl Isaías Rosas-Zarur: Five-year suspension and US$15,000 fine. Effective from July 23, 2024.
- Ivar Aramburu Contreras: Suspension of two years and two months, in addition to a fine of US$44,000. Active suspension since January 8, 2024.
- Aitor Aramburu Contreras: Suspension of one year and 10 months, with a fine of US$25,200. Starts on February 8, 2024.
During periods of suspension, players are prohibited from participating, training or even watching tennis competitions under the auspices of the ITIA, ATP or other major tournaments such as Wimbledon.
Cases of match-fixing in other sports
In recent months, some sports leagues have sanctioned players for integrity violations. One case that gained prominence was the six-year suspension of the chair umpire, Heriberto Morales Churata.
In addition, authorities have punished other famous athletes from different sports, including Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali in English football, Jontay Porter in the NBA and Brydon Carse in English cricket.
Another major scandal involves MLB star Shohei Ohtani. Although they did not blame him directly, authorities accused his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, of stealing to pay gambling debts. The story gained visibility, and even a TV series is in production.
