The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has announced that it has banned three players for match-fixing activity.
According to the ITIA’s announcement, the three players, Timur Khabibulin, Sanjar Fayziev and Igor Smilansky, were all found to have breached the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
Following a hearing chaired by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Janie Soublière, all three were banned from tennis-related activities and fined.
- Timur Khabibulin (Kazakhstan) – 21 charges from 2014 to 2019 – lifetime ban, fined $60,000
- Sanjar Fayziev (Uzbekistan) – 5 charges in 2018 – three year six months ban (six months suspended), fined $15,000
- Igor Smilansky (Israel) – 3 charges in 2018 – two year ban, $4,000 fine ($1,000 suspended)
All bans will begin from the date that the players were provisionally suspended (July 25th 2023).
The three players are now banned from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA: ATP, ITF, WTA, Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, or any national association.
ITIA Sanctions
In August of 2023, French tennis player Alexis Musialek was banned from tennis for life following 39 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
Earlier in May, the ITIA banned umpire Heriberto Morales Churata from Bolivia for six years and fined $10,000 after an investigation found that he manipulated scores for betting purposes. The ITIA revealed that the umpire entered incorrect scores into his handheld device at ITF World Tennis Tour events that took place in 2021 and 2022.
In March, Slovenian player Nastja Kolar and U.S. player Alexandra Riley were found to have committed 25 and 15 breaches of the rules respectively between 2015 and 2020. Both players were provisionally suspended.
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