The International Tennis Integrity Agency has banned Adam El Mihdawy, a tennis player, for three-and-a-half years over the athlete’s admittance of guilt in cases of match-fixing. The player owned up to having participated in several instances of match-fixing back in 2016 in Mexico where he helped stilt game outcomes voluntarily and understood that he was breaching ITIA’s Code of Conduct.
ITIA Delivers Another Ban Verdict
El Mihdawy’s highest ATP standing to date has been 281, with the player unlikely to return to competitive tennis after his ban expires. An independent investigation into the man was launched by the Anti-Corrupting Hearing Officer and presided over by Richard H. McLaren. The final ruling will factor in the player’s suspension from the professional sport during which he had to wait for a verdict before finding out whether he could return to professional tennis.
His penalty is set to expire on February 28, 2026. In addition, he will have to pay $5,000 as part of a fine, and an additional suspended fine of $10,000. The breaches the player is bearing responsibility for are under Section D.1.d, Section D.1.f., and Section D.2.a.i. of 2016 TACP.
Essentially, TACP outlines the accepted conduct in cases where players are approached by a party requesting them to participate in match-fixing offenses. All players must report such instances to the relevant authorities within their local tournaments and leagues, even if that involves officials.
ITIA has protocols in place for how players can report such instances no matter who the corrupt official might be. ITIA has been particularly active in the past several years. The watchdog has committed to cleaning up sport and has not hesitated to issue penalties to the likes of Max Wenders, a recognized sports legend. Bans this year have been commonplace with ITIA able to track back offenses dating years, indicating the regulator’s potential and powers to detect even past crimes and infringements.
Investigations are usually lengthy and most result in end-of-career verdicts for those involved. ITIA is hoping that its work will help make tennis a fairer and cleaner sport for fans and players.
