Game, set and match ... fixing

Bookies bashed

Among its recommendations was that betting companies should stop being allowed to sponsor tournaments - a move sure to be welcomed by Britain's two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray who in 2016 labeled bookmakers' sponsorship as hypocritical.

The panel also called for the TIU to be reorganized and reformed, even though it launched a new strategy in its war on corruption last year.

The panel's findings that it had not uncovered any evidence of institutional corruption were welcomed by the ITF, ATP and WTA as well as the four heads of the Grand Slam tournaments.

However, they accepted the need for firm and decisive action to address the concerns raised about the lower-level tours.

"Following an initial review of the interim report we confirm our agreement in principle with the package of measures and recommendations proposed by the IRP," read their joint statement.

"These include the removal of opportunities and incentives for breaches in integrity, the establishment of a restructured, more independent TIU, enhanced education, expanded rules, and greater cooperation and collaboration with the betting industry and broader sports community."

The report received 3,200 survey responses from players at all levels around the world, of which 464 said they had firsthand knowledge of match-fixing.

Enhanced education was an area already being addressed by the TIU.

Phil Suddick, information manager at the TIU, said last September that the unit believed a focus on education was crucial to combat corruption within the sport.

Suddick said that in order to nip such practices in the bud it was crucial to address junior players and their parents.

"It is the parents who tend to be their coaches and the people who travel with them, so it is they who must first notice a sponsorship deal that isn't really what it appears to be," said Suddick.

"This could be a person who pays for flights and hotels, which is the thin end of the wedge, but the wedge can grow into something larger down the line.

"We have to educate the entourage around the juniors from the coach, the parents to the hitting partner and others involved."

Agence France-Presse