The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has issued a definitive lifetime ban on a national-level Bulgarian tennis official following a serious breach of anti-corruption regulations. The official in question, Atanasov, has been implicated and held accountable for no fewer than 21 violations of the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). Admitting his role in these offences, Atanasov’s illicit activities stretched from 2019 all the way to 2023, painting a disturbing picture of corruption within certain tennis circles.
Atanasov’s corrupt practices encompassed a range of fraudulent activities, such as the manipulation of scoring data in tennis matches, directly intended to facilitate and benefit betting operations. His involvements did not end there; he was also actively engaged in betting on tennis matches himself. The scope of his misdemeanors included both rigging of outcomes and failure to officially report corrupt approaches when they occurred.
On the heels of these revelations, Atanasov, who has been known to officiate at ITF $15K and $25K tournaments in Bulgaria, now faces a stark future in the sport. The lifetime ban handed down to him effectively ostracizes him from any engagement with tennis events sanctioned by ITIA members or national associations. This ban is not just limited to officiating duties, as it also prohibits his mere attendance at any such events.
Alongside the ban, there is a financial repercussion for Atanasov’s actions. He has been ordered to pay a substantial fine of $10,000 (£8,078/€9,370), which stands as a testament to the seriousness of the infractions and the ITIA’s commitment to maintaining integrity within the sport.
Atanasov represents the most recent in a string of individuals that have been subjected to the ITIA’s stringent anticorruption measures. Earlier in the month, an instance of this assertive approach was exemplified when Spanish tennis player Aaron Cortes received a 15-year ban after being found guilty of similar corruption charges. His offences, like Atanasov’s, involved the deliberate fixing of match outcomes and accepting financial inducements to influence the results of tennis events. Cortes, whose highest world singles ranking once reached 955 in September 2017, is now excluded from participation or attendance at any related tennis events until 6 March 2039.
The ITIA’s commitment to uphold the integrity of tennis has also echoed through other recent disciplinary actions. This very month bore witness to the suspension of Italian tennis official Manuel Guion. He was handed down a suspension lasting five years and six months in connection to breaches of the TACP, marking him ineligible to engage with the sport until 4 August 2029.
Adding to the list of officials caught in corruption offences, Marko Stojanovic, a Croatian tennis official, also faced suspension for five years and six months this March. The sanctions against Stojanovic were the result of several infractions against the TACP, which included, among other things, manipulation of match data to facilitate betting.
These stern disciplinary actions underscore the relentless pursuit of the ITIA to root out corruption from tennis and to restore the faith of fans and players in the fairness and integrity of the sport. The message is loud and clear: integrity is non-negotiable in tennis, and the ITIA will continue to clamp down on any individuals or actions that threaten to undermine this fundamental principle.
