ITIA Quarterly Update - Q1 2023

Education and prevention update

Members of the ITIA’s education and investigation departments have continued to integrate themselves within the combined tours to deliver enhanced engagement with tennis players and officials.

In the first three months of 2023, the ITIA engaged over 750 covered persons with a blend of in-person, online, or recorded presentations. The team has maintained a particular focus on informing and empowering the next generation of tennis players, providing sessions to over 500 junior players.

Global outreach and on-site sessions have included delivery at the 2023 Australian Open, the ITF Traralgon J300 and the Tennis Europe Kungens Kanna & Drottningens Pris in Stockholm, Sweden.

Meanwhile, ITIA senior leaders have underlined the Agency’s commitment to meaningful engagement with the broader tennis network by attending ITF White Badge and Refresher schools.

In Q1, Jenni Kennedy, Director of Investigations, and Matt Perry, Senior Education Manager for the ITIA, presented at White Badge and Refresher schools in Pretoria, South Africa.

“Being part of these schools is part of our commitment to be visible and accessible. Our role is more than just sanctioning, we’re here to support everyone in the sport,” said Jenni. “We want to help officials recognise some of the risks and issues that they see every day. Sometimes just an informal conversation could help point us in the right direction or deal with an issue before it happens.”

“ITIA education and prevention is more than a list of rules and banning players, it is about building relationships with everyone in tennis,” said Matt. “Our teams are at tournaments and officiating schools all over the world, and open to conversations about your experiences so please do come and find us or contact us through our website or app.”

Alison Hughes, who led some of the officiating school sessions in Pretoria, said: “The involvement of ITIA at the schools allows the students to have more interaction than they would have at tournaments, and I think this is a great benefit. Talking to ITIA representatives in a relaxed environment puts officials at ease and gives us all the benefit of gaining more knowledge and understanding and the support that they provide to officials and tennis.  I look forward to working at future schools and events with ITIA”.

Gold-badge-holding tennis umpire Damien Dumusois, who has overseen multiple Grand Slam finals across his career, was also supportive of the ITIA’s engagement with officials: “ITIA is now part of the education for all officials. They learn what to do on court, but also see the situations they can face off court, how to react and who they can talk to.

“It’s important they are aware about it as early as possible in their career, and not only when they reach the top level. That’s why having ITIA with us at national, white badge or international schools is very important, to protect them first and to know how to act if needed.”

Education and prevention outreach remains a large focus for the ITIA in 2023 and beyond, and more information on further initiatives will be revealed in due course.

Karen Moorhouse, the ITIA’s new CEO, begins role

The ITIA welcomed Karen Moorhouse to the organisation in February, joining us after 14 years at the Rugby Football League, where she served as Director and Chief Regulatory Officer.

On her first few weeks in the role, Karen said: “The first couple of months at the ITIA have been fascinating, and I am thankful to the tennis family for their warm welcome.

“In addition to spending time with the ITIA team, I have spent my early weeks in the role engaging with a range of individuals across tennis to gain a greater understanding of the tennis ecosystem and its opportunities and challenges.  I hope this will help in building strong relationships, and I feel we have made a positive start.   

“The ITIA is in a formative stage of its development. The tennis bodies have made a strong, long-term commitment to maintaining a properly resourced, independently led integrity agency combining its programmes on both anti-corruption and anti-doping. We are very early in that journey.

“A key focus for me over the next quarter will be reviewing the ITIA’s existing Strategy and putting in place a range of supporting documents to ensure the ITIA is a high-performing organisation – this includes an operational plan and broader stakeholder mapping and engagement. This sits alongside the work to define the ITIA’s first set of Values, which will underpin our daily operations and inform how the ITIA behaves and interacts with the sport and its people.”

Sanctions

The ITIA issued seven provisional suspensions under the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program and Tennis Anti-Doping Programme in the first quarter of 2023.

Nastja Kolar and Alexandra Riley

ITIA - Kolar and Riley provisionally suspended

Sydney Dorcil

ITIA - Sydney Dorcil Provisional Suspension

Stefano Battaglino

ITIA - Battaglino Provisional Suspension

Mariska Venter

ITIA - Mariska Venter Provisional Suspension

Percy Flores and Heriberto Morales Churata

ITIA - Bolivian umpires provisionally suspended

Sanctions were also confirmed in the following cases

Fabian Carrero (lifetime - TACP)

ITIA - Fabián Carrero life ban

Mike Denayer (one month - TADP)

ITIA - Mike Denayer

Juan Carlos Osorio Hernandez (three years - TADP)

ITIA - Osario Herndandez ban

Younes Rachidi (lifetime - TACP)

ITIA - Younes Rachidi lifetime ban

Sherazad Reix (four years - TACP)

ITIA - Sherazad Reix ban

Gilbert Klier Junior (12 months - TADP)

ITIA - Klier Junior suspension

Mohamed Hassan (lifetime - TACP) and Houria Boukholda (two years - TACP)

ITIA - Hassan and Boukholda

Bastian Malla (two months - TADP)

ITIA - Bastian Malla further sanction

Felipe Hernandez (three years - TADP)

ITIA - Felipe Hernandez ban

Match alerts

In the first quarter of 2023, the ITIA received a total of 13 match alerts through its confidential Memoranda of Understanding with the regulated betting industry.

A note about match alerts:

Every alert reported to the ITIA is recorded, assessed and followed up as an indicator that something inappropriate may have happened. It is important to note that an alert on its own is not evidence of match fixing.

Unusual betting patterns can occur for many reasons other than match fixing – for example incorrect odds-setting; well-informed betting; player fitness, fatigue or form; playing conditions and personal circumstances.

The number and distribution of alerts are reported quarterly. Care should be taken in drawing any conclusions about prevailing corruption across the tennis ‘pyramid’ as there are many more matches at the bottom than at the top. More complete analysis will be published in our annual report.

Where analysis of a match alert does suggest corrupt activity, the ITIA conducts a full, confidential investigation.

Tennis Anti-Doping Testing Programme – Q1 2023

ABP = Athlete Biological Passport

These figures outline the number of samples taken from players, not the number of tests (multiple samples e.g., urine and blood, can be taken from players when they are tested). All tests undertaken this quarter were with no notice.

The ITIA is responsible for the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme across all professional tennis. Tests in Q1 of 2023 took place at events ranging from ITF $15k level to the Australian Open, with in and out of-competition testing undertaken in 51 different countries.