The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has announced that four tennis officials have been sanctioned for violating the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). The officials are from Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, and Austria, and they have been involved in manipulating scoring data, facilitating wagering, and conspiring to commit offenses.
ITIA Collaborates with Austrian Authorities to Convict Sperger
Manuel Sperger, an Austrian national-level official, was the subject of match-fixing-related proceedings in a criminal court in Innsbruck, Austria. He admitted to manipulating scores in 2016 and 2017 for betting purposes. The ITIA charged Sperger with 12 offenses under the TACP, including manipulating the entry of scoring data for betting purposes and facilitating wagering. Sperger admitted to the offenses and accepted an agreed sanction of seven years and six months’ suspension and a $25,000 fine, of which $18,750 is suspended. The suspension is effective from 18 December 2023 and will end at midnight on 17 June 2031. During his suspension, Sperger is prohibited from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA.
Three Officials Sanctioned by Independent Hearing Officer
Edvinas Grigaitis, a Lithuanian national-level official, received a three-year suspension for four breaches of the TACP, including delaying or manipulating the entry of scoring data for betting purposes, facilitating wagering, and conspiring to commit offenses. Alongside three major breaches of the TACP, Grigaitis was also charged with wagering on tennis matches he was not involved in. The suspension is effective from 15 December 2023, and will end at midnight on 14 December 2026.
Givi Khudoiani and Arsen Movsisyan, national-level officials from Georgia and Armenia respectively, were found by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Janie Soublière to have collaborated on a scheme to manipulate scoring data from matches in 2019 and 2020 for betting purposes. Khudoiani was found liable for 15 TACP breaches, and Movsisyan was found liable for six. Khudoiani was handed a 14-year suspension and a $25,000 fine, and Movsisyan received a five-year suspension. The pair have been provisionally suspended since 14 July 2021 – while the investigation and case proceeded – and time served under provisional suspension will be credited against their period of ineligibility. As such, Khudoiani’s suspension will end at midnight on 13 July 2035, and Movsisyan’s suspension will end at midnight on 13 July 2026.
ITIA’s Mission to Protect the Integrity of Tennis
The ITIA is the independent body responsible for safeguarding the integrity of professional tennis worldwide. It was established in January 2021 as a successor to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). The ITIA has the power to investigate, prosecute, and sanction any breaches of the TACP, which applies to all players, coaches, agents, officials, and other personnel involved in the sport. The ITIA also works closely with law enforcement agencies and other sports integrity units to combat corruption and match-fixing in tennis. The ITIA’s vision is to ensure that tennis is a fair and clean sport, free from any form of manipulation or interference.
