FILE PHOTO: General view of a tennis racquet in Paris, France, May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File photo
(Reuters) - Five tennis players have been sanctioned for breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Thursday.
The sanctions are linked to a criminal case heard in 2023 involving a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium over which Bulgarian official Stefan Milanov and French player Leny Mitjana were suspended earlier this year.
"All individuals admitted to breaches and accepted an agreed sanction - waiving their right to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer," the ITIA said in a statement.
"All charges relate to matches played in 2017 and/or 2018, and relate to contriving the outcome of matches, facilitating betting, accepting money in exchange for not giving best efforts, and failure to report corrupt approaches."
Ecuadorian Ivan Endara, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 367 in 2015, along with Mexico's Mauricio Resendiz and Raul Isaias Rosas-Zarur all received a five year suspension to expire in July 2029 and a $15,000 fine.
Ivar Aramburu Contreras from Mexico has been suspended until March 2026 and fined $44,000 - of which $30,800 is suspended, while his brother Aitor Aramburu Contreras has been suspended until December 2025, and fined $36,000 - of which $25,200 is suspended.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City)
