ITF tournaments where the prize money is in the range of $15,000 should not have live data available in order to combat match-fixing, according to an independent report.
The Independent Review Panel (IRP) has delivered their final verdict following a lengthy investigation into corruption in the sport. The creation of the IRP was triggered following a 2016 joint news report by the BBC and Buzzfeed News that alleged match-fixing was widespread in the sport. An allegation that the governing bodies of tennis has firmly denied.
“Today, tennis faces a serious integrity problem,” the panel said. “There are several reasons for this: The nature of the game lends itself to manipulation for betting purposes.
“There are many contingencies. There is only one player who must act. Detection is difficult, not least because at many lower level matches there are no spectators and inadequate facilities to protect players from potential corrupters.
“Moreover, under-performance is often attributed to ‘tanking’, which too often has been tolerated.”
Findings has identified that the lowest level tournaments on the tour are the most prone to corruption due to the limited amount of money available to players. Hence the argument for the data of those events to not be reported live. A previous recommendation had said that this should apply to all ITF events with the prize money value of up to $25,000, but a review has found those in the $15,000 category post a far greater risk.
Sportradar currently has a $70 million contract with the ITF regarding data-rights of their tournaments. The company has previously hit back at the findings, by arguing that a total wipe-out of live data would create a ‘black market.’
“We welcome the fact that the Panel has reversed their recommendation to discontinue sale of live data at the $25k level of the sport, however we believe that they could and should have gone further.” Said David Lampitt, Managing Director of Group Operations at Sportradar.
The report has also called for all tournaments to not be sponsored by betting companies. Noting that the ITF already has a rule in place that prohibits this at their events. Calls have now been made for both the ATP and WTA to follow suit. However, the IRP said that any move to do so should be subjected to an ongoing assessment. Acknowledging that if the removal of sponsorships with betting companies has a negative impact on the sport, it can be reversed.
“The Panel considers that if betting sponsorships are allowed in the future, then the International Governing Bodies themselves should not take such sponsorships and they should make it an enforceable requirement that a specified and substantial, and not merely nominal, proportion of any value received from any sponsorship taken by an event they endorse must be spent on the protection of integrity, in a verifiable and approved manner.”
It has also been concluded that there have been no cover-up in corruption by the sport’s governing bodies. The ATP, WTA , ITF, and the Grand Slam Board have all pledged to implement the recommendations set out in a timely fashion.
The full report by the IRP can be read at http://tennisirp.com.
