Corruption controversies plague tennis as ITIA suspends Bosnian national-level official over grave charges

The suspension was imposed under section F.3.b.i.4 of Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) charges.

Corruption controversies plague tennis as ITIA suspends Bosnian national-level official over grave charges

An umpire officiating during a tennis match (Via ITIA)

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) is a body established to maintain the integrity of tennis. Over the many years, they have looked over the fairness and equality of the game as well as any malpractice. With its many practices, they have made a huge contribution to the promotion of professional tennis worldwide.

The organization recently took a huge step and suspended Bosnian national-level official Damjan Dejanovic from the sport. Not much information has been disclosed on the suspension, but ITIA has mentioned that the suspension was imposed under section F.3.b.i.4 of Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) charges. This section states that an individual is likely to have committed a major offense that would undermine the ITIA. 

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Dejanovic hasn’t appealed the ruling and is now under suspension as the ITIA completes its investigation. This prohibits the individual from attending tennis events sanctioned by the members of the ITIA, which includes all the organizations such as ATP, WTA, Australian Open, Wimbledon, etc. As one of the powerful agencies in tennis, they look after the integrity of the sport, and any breach of conduct from an individual can result in immediate suspension. 

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Damjan Dejanovic is the latest individual to be suspended by the ITIA as more individuals find themselves in a pickle

ITIA’s recent suspension of Damjan Dejanovic was another major action taken by the agency, making this the second big suspension of the month. Earlier, Bulgarian official Stefan Milanov was banned for 16 years after being found guilty of a list of corruption for the five matches he umpired in 2021. This can mean faulting any data, not following the conduct, or general malpractice that is against the fairness of the sport and undermines the integrity of ITIA. 

Tara Moore
Tara Moore (Via The Mirror)

Recently, tennis player Tara Moore’s clearance was also appealed by the ITIA who hope to investigate the case again. The British doubles star was previously banned for 19 months after being found guilty of doping. Having appealed multiple times, the 31-year-old got cleared earlier this month but found herself still in the hold of the agency as they appealed against the clearance.

Furthermore, French player Leny Mitjana was also found guilty of match-fixing that saw him receive a 10-year ban. ITIA does not overlook any player when it comes to the integrity of the sport and has the power to suspend or ban the player if found guilty of breaching the code of conduct.

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