Die International Tennis Integrity Agency (HATE, deutsch International Agency for Integrity in Tennis) is an organization responsible for maintaining the integrity of professional tennis worldwide. It is a successor organization to the Tennis Integrity Unit (2008-2020). In addition to prevention, education and drug testing activities, it collects information and investigates competition manipulation, particularly match-fixing in tennis. It has the ability to impose fines and sanctions and ban players, referees and other tennis officials from participating in tournaments. The ITIA is a joint initiative of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the four Grand Slam tournaments.[1]
The ITIA is legally independent of the governing bodies and makes its own decisions about investigations and prosecutions, which is unusual in global sport.
IATA has the following senior directors:
The ITIA employs around 35 people in the areas of intelligence, investigations, anti-doping, education and training, legal/case management, communications and administration.
One of the ITIA’s main tasks is to implement the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) on behalf of the tennis governing bodies. The TACP defines the various corruption offenses in professional tennis, including those related to betting, match fixing and competition manipulation. The ITIA is investigating possible violations of the TACP. If there is sufficient evidence, it will refer the case to an independent anti-corruption commissioner for a first hearing. Appeals against first-instance decisions are heard at the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Another main task of the ITIA is the management of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) on behalf of the umbrella companies. Professional tennis players are tested for substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”). If an anti-doping rule violation is determined to have occurred, the program will impose sanctions in accordance with the Anti-Doping Code.
The ITIA also oversees the Tennis Integrity Protection Program (TIPP). TIPP is an interactive online e-learning program designed to educate participants about the sport in order to protect the integrity of the sport. TIPP is mandatory for all players and officials and must be completed every two years. The ITIA also recommends that all people working in tennis, such as coaches, tournament staff and agents, complete the program.
In 2023, the following tennis players were sanctioned with bans for doping:[2]
* reduced from 4 years
** reduced from 18 months
On August 20, 2024, the ITIA announced that Jannik Sinner had tested positive for the banned steroid Clostebol on March 10 at the Masters tournament in Indian Wells of the same year and during a training check eight days later. Sinner stated that he received daily massages and sports therapy from a member of his support team from March 5th to 13th. During this period, the person treated himself for a wound using a spray containing the steroid in question, which is available without a prescription in Italy. This led to “unwitting transdermal contamination”. A court found no fault or negligence on the part of the player. Despite the acquittal, under anti-doping rules, Sinner was stripped of his prize money and world ranking points from Indian Wells, where he had reached the semi-finals.
A case published on November 28, 2024 involved Iga Świątek. Świątek tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ). The ITIA investigation revealed that the source was an over-the-counter drug (melatonin) manufactured and sold in Poland that the player had taken for jet lag and sleep problems. The investigation led to the conclusion that there was no material fault, intent or negligence and therefore only a one-month suspension should be imposed. The player was provisionally suspended from September 12, 2024 before successfully appealing but still missed three tournaments. The player also lost prize money from the Cincinnati Open, a tournament in the WTA 1000 category that immediately followed the test and in which Świątek reached the semifinals. Świątek accepted the sanction.[3]
IATA began investigating tennis’s most complex corruption case to date more than five years ago (then called the Tennis Integrity Unit) and concluded in 2023. It involved the involvement of an organized crime group from Belgium and included matches and players in several European countries. The cases were handed over to law enforcement. Sanctions were also imposed. The network is said to have persuaded over 180 professional tennis players worldwide to take part in match-fixing. These include German, French, American, Egyptian, Bulgarian, Slovakian and at least seven Belgian players. We are talking about at least 376 games and game phases arranged in this way between 2014 and 2018, on which members or straw men of the gang placed bets. They are said to have swindled over eight million euros. The focus was on low-ranking professional players who compete in relatively unknown tournaments. These players don’t earn much and are therefore more susceptible to bribery attempts.[4]
In 2023, the following people, players, referees or officials, were sanctioned with bans for corruption:[2]
* reduced from four years
Current sanctions are published quarterly. In the first three quarters of 2024, around 150 tennis players, referees and officials will be affected, including around 120 for corruption and around 30 for doping.[5]
- ↑ ITIA. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ↑ a b Annual Report IATA 2023, IATA. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ↑ Polish tennis player Iga Świątek accepts one-month suspension under Tennis Anti-Doping Program, IATA, November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ↑ Match fixing in tennis: Trial in Oudenaarde against an international gang, BRF, March 17, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ↑ Sanctions, ITIA. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
