The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) can today confirm that former tennis player and Peruvian tournament director and Davis Cup captain Luis Horna has accepted a sanction for breaching tennis’ betting sponsorship rules. Horna co-operated fully with the investigation and did not contest the charge.
As a tournament director and team captain, Horna 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 2023, Horna entered into a contract with a betting operator to provide professional services and promote tennis betting. Upon receiving contact from the ITIA, Horna expressed remorse, withdrew from the arrangement and deleted all promotional material related to the betting brand.
There is no suggestion of any corrupt behaviour linked to the rule violation, and the ITIA accepted that the violation was inadvertent. As such, Horna has been issued a six-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 six-month period, which began on 5 April 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 08 April 2024 12:30
