ITIA imposes fines and suspensions against four tennis officials

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), the independent body established to safeguard the integrity of tennis across the globe, announced sanctions against four officials. The Agency confirmed last week it suspended multiple officials over breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).

The ITIA confirmed that Manuel Sperger, an Austrian official, accepted an agreed sanction with the Agency after a conviction in criminal court over match-fixing, while three other tennis officials, Arsen Movsisyan from Armenia, Givi Khudoiani from Georgia and Edvinas Grigaitis from Lithuania were sanctioned by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Janie Soublière.

Besides suspension from the sport, some of the officials were subject to fines as well. The suspensions imposed by the ITIA effectively prohibit the four tennis officials from officiating or even attending any tennis event that is sanctioned or authorized by members of the Agency, including WTA, ITF, ATP, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, among others, for the duration of their penalty.

A statement released by the ITIA reveals that the national-level official, Sperger, was subject to match-fixing-related proceedings in Austria. He admitted to manipulation of scores for betting purposes in 2016, as well as 2017. Overall, Sperger was charged with 12 breaches of the TACP related to wagering and manipulation of scoring data.

Upon agreeing the sanction with the ITIA, he waived his right to a hearing before an AHO. Sperger agreed to a suspension applicable for seven years and six months. Besides the suspension, a fine of $25,000 was imposed with $18,750 suspended. The ban from tennis is effective from December 18, 2023, and will remain in place through June 17, 2031.

AHO Soublière concluded that the national-level officials, Khudoiani and Movsisyan, were involved in a scheme that was related to manipulating score data for betting purposes. According to the ITIA, the breaches were completed in 2019 and 2020.

In total, Khudoiani was found guilty of 15 TACP breaches. The tennis official was suspended from the sport for 14 years and he also received a $25,000 fine. On the other hand, Movsisyan was found liable for six TACP breaches. He was handed a five-year suspension.

Both Khudoiani and Movsisyan have been provisionally suspended since July 14, 2021. During that time, their case was thoroughly investigated. Still, the time Khudoiani and Movsisyan served under the provisional suspension will be counted toward their suspension. This otherwise means that Khudoiani’s ban will remain in effect until midnight on July 13, 2035, while Movsisyan’s ban will end at midnight on July 13, 2026.

Grigaitis was the fourth official who was hit with a suspension from the ITIA. According to the tennis integrity watchdog, he breached the TACP rules four times. As a result of the breaches that were related to manipulating or delaying the entry of score data for betting purposes, Grigaitis received a three-year suspension from the sport. His suspension came into effect on December 15, 2023, and will remain in place through midnight on December 14, 2026.

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