Tennis leaders form independent panel to address match-fixing claims
MELBOURNE, Australia — Tennis’ governing bodies announced Wednesday the formulation of an independent review panel in response to ongoing match-fixing allegations that have rocked the sport the past 10 days.
The panel will “review and report on the appropriateness and effectiveness of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP)," according to a statement issued by the four Grand Slams, the ATP World Tour, the WTA and the International Tennis Federation.
“Nothing is off the table,” said ATP chairman Chris Kermode at a press conference here Wednesday morning. “This is a completely independent review. There is no deadline to this review, it will cost what it costs, the results will be made public and will be published and we’re committed to act on every recommendation.”
Ten days ago a report from BuzzFeed News and the BBC claimed that match fixing had persisted at the top levels of tennis, including 16 active players. The report said Grand Slam singles and doubles winners were involved, but it didn't name the players.
The New York Times reported Monday that a mixed doubles match at the Australian Open had been flagged by a betting agency for irregular gambling practices, causing the company to suspend betting on the match.
The panel is set up to act as an independent body to liaise with tennis' governing agencies and to help bring more transparency to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which is in charge of investigating match-fixing claims.
Many questions have been raised about what the TIU does and how it can make its work more transparent without compromising investigations and their confidentiality.
“I don’t really know what the TIU is doing because it’s all closed off,” Eric Butorac, the president of the ATP’s Player Council, told Paste BN Sports last week. “Do we need to dump more money into the TIU to help them operate better? Sure, let’s do that.”
That suggested money, instead, will go to the independent review panel, which is headed by Adam Lewis, a sports law expert, who will select the other two members of the panel. There is no timeline for the panel’s findings to be made public.
Philip Brook, the Wimbledon chairman, sat between Kermode and ITF president Dave Haggerty on Wednesday at the press conference, addressing the panel and its intended purposes. Brook also serves as the rotating chairman of the Tennis Integrity Board.
The panel was formulated for “further safeguarding the safety of the game,” Brook said. “This is an important decision, which has been taken with the full backing of tennis’ leadership.”
WTA Chairman Steve Simon told Paste BN Sports in a statement that the women’s tour fully supported the formulation of the panel.
“Given our unwavering commitment to the integrity of our sport, this is the correct and responsible way to move forward,” said Simon, who took up his post just a few months ago. “Our sport remains fully aligned and are committed to implementing and funding any recommended action that come forth from the independent review.”
“We are determined to do everything we need to do to remove corruption from our sport,” Brook added. “The events of the last 10 days have caused damage to our sport. There is no getting away from that. We remain totally confident in the work of the TIU.”
But that confidence has been called into question since the BuzzFeed report, and again was queried on Wednesday by journalists present at the press conference. Would an independent review panel be needed if the TIU was functioning completely properly? And why did it take the report coming out for tennis to react if the sport’s governing bodies insist match fixing is not an issue?
“We believe very much in the TIU and the great work it is doing,” said Haggerty, an American who took up the ITF post last year. “We think this review will help us in being even better and strengthen the program we have.”
Kermode insisted that tennis had to act, and that the report last week was a review of findings of match fixing from 2008, which in turn formed the TIU. It “did not reveal anything new,” Brook added.
“”If we sat back and had done nothing, we would have been accused that the sport is being complacent,” said Kermode. “We don’t want to be complacent. We want to be constantly vigilant. I think this is a very bold step. We need to address the perception, public confidence [and] hit it head on. We don’t have anything to hide at all.”
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