If 2015 was the year for football scandals, 2016 seems to have struck the green pitches, albeit smaller ones in the form of tennis courts. The 2016 Australian Open started off
with a few good matches but what caused a bigger bang was the announcement of match fixing. The BBC and online news portal Buzz Feed claimed that 16 players in the top 50 have been flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) many times, over allegations that they were involved in throwing matches over the past decade. Incidentally, eight of those players are taking part in the ongoing Australian Open.
None of these players have been named, since the BBC and Buzz Feed claim that until their phone, email and bank records, among other things, can be checked and their claim verified, there is no absolute proof of wrongdoing. Although they do claim that they have obtained documents that included the findings of an investigation undertaken by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
If, by some chance, all these allegations
can be proven then it will set
world tennis back a bit, considering
the fact that investigations and
claims of fixing have been going on
for near on ten years, including at
Wimbeldon, which many consider
holy ground for the sport. The TIU
is a ‘watchdog’ unit that was set up
to police illegal activities in tennis.
They investigate suspicious incidents
related to betting patterns as
well as television footage and whistleblower testimony.
While they may be denying everything right now, there have
been independent watchdogs and investigators who have
claimed nearly 50 incidents of suspicious activity have been
recorded in 2015. This is a large figure compared to just 16 incidents
in other big sports, put together. The BBC and BuzzFeed
claim this information was obtained from whistleblowers
who were concerned with the rising incidents of fixing in tennis,
simply because allegations against top players were not
investigated.
The TIU claims that betting patterns are not proof of misconduct,
and they are absolutely right there. But now, with Novak
Djokovic’s recent revelation that he was offered money
to throw a match in Russia, in a tournament which he didn’t
end up playing in, the old adage, ‘where there is smoke, there
is fire’ certainly rings true. All these allegations have links to
gambling, which is one of the biggest evils to plague world
sport over the last decade. Now that betting on sport has been
made legal in many countries and some betting companies
even sponsor football teams and smaller tournaments, the
influence of big money can be tempting for many players,
no matter their economic status. Incidentally, the Australian
Open is the first tournament in tennis to have a betting company
as one of the main sponsors.
This comes on the back of scandals in FIFA and the world
athletics body. With more money being pumped into different
sports, and gambling becoming a regular and legal pastime,
it is perhaps only the beginning. Associations and authorities
have to now become super aggressive in catching violators
and also discouraging younger players from getting into the
habit. If that doesn’t happen, the future of sport is at stake.
