The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) can today confirm that Austrian wheelchair tennis player Nico Langmann has accepted a sanction for breaching tennis’ betting sponsorship rules. Langmann co-operated fully with the investigation and did not contest the charge.
As an active wheelchair tennis player, Langmann is considered a “covered person”, who must comply with the sport’s rules around relationships with betting operators. The Tennis Anti-Corruption Program rules state that: “No Covered Person shall directly or indirectly, facilitate, encourage and/or promote Tennis Betting (‘Facilitation’).”
In January 2023, Langmann entered into a contract with an Austrian online gaming and betting operator to become an ambassador, a deal which included, but was not limited to, use of Langmann’s image and social media profile to promote the brand. Upon receiving contact from the ITIA, Langmann withdrew from the arrangement and made best efforts to remove promotional content already produced.
There is no suggestion of any corrupt behaviour linked to the rule violation, and the ITIA accepted that the violation was inadvertent. As such, Langmann has been issued a two-month suspended ban and fined $10,000. The suspension will not come into force unless there is a further breach of the rules during the two-month period, which began on 14 May 2024.
The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.
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Published 14 May 2024 11:00
