The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that Kazakhstan tennis player Roman Khassanov has been banned from the sport for 10 years after admitting multiple breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) rules. In addition to the ban, Khassanov was fined $100,000, of which $75,000 is suspended.
The offences took place between 2014 and 2018 and Khassanov, who had a highest ATP singles ranking of 671, is now prohibited from playing in, coaching at or otherwise attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis for 10 years, from 9 May 2021.
The case was dealt with under the 2021 TACP ‘Proposal for Disposition’ framework. This allows for a sanction to be handed down from the ITIA to the player upon admission of guilt, without the need for a hearing.
The breaches of the TACP rules that Khassanov admitted to are:
Section D.1.d. "No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event."
Section D.1.f. "No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or accept any money, benefit or Consideration with the intention of negatively influencing a Player's best efforts in any Event."
Section D.2.a(i) "In the event any Player is approached by any person who offers or provides any type of money, benefit or Consideration to a Player to (i) influence the outcome or any other aspect of any Event. .. it shall be the Player's obligation to report such incident to the ITIA as soon as possible."
Section D.2.a(ii) "In the event any Player knows or suspects that any other Covered Person or other individual has committed a Corruption Offense, it shall be the Player's obligation to report such knowledge to the ITIA as soon as possible."
The International Tennis Integrity Agency is an independent body established by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.
Published 11 May 2021 10:40
