Match-Fixing Allegations Got El Mihdawy Temporarily Banned from Tennis

The professional US tennis athlete Adam El Mihdawy has been accused of match-fixing, causing him to receive a provisional suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

Match-Fixing Allegations Got El Mihdawy Banned

Match-fixing continues to be a problem that the sports and sports betting industries continuously have to face. Professional leagues have grown aware of the dangers such fraud represents and have established regulatory bodies to deal with it.

Because of this, the ITIA barred the elite tennis athlete El Mihdawy from participating in any tennis event that is authorized or sanctioned by the agency. The player will be unable to compete until the regulative body has fully considered the match-fixing charges against him.

El Mihdawy is a professional athlete who currently ranks in the 804^th place in the Association of Tennis Professionals world singles rankings. The player occupied the 281^st place at the peak of his career.

The ITIA Protects Professional Tennis from Fraud 

The ITEA is an authority established by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis it works to ensure that tennis remains regulated for the sake of the sport, honest competition, and sports betting. It pointed out that the move against El Mihdawy is in line with section F.3 of the 2022 Tennis Anti-Corruption program, which states the following:

“The ITIA may at any time impose a Provisional Suspension on a Covered Person, including (i) before a Notice of Major Offense has been issued, (ii) before a Hearing or (iii) at any time after a Hearing but prior to the AHO’s issuance of a written Decision.”

IBIA 2022 Tennis Anti-Corruption program

This is the first time the ITIA has sanctioned a player since January when it banned the Peruvian athlete Mauricio Echazu and the Argentine professional Nicolás Arreche. In a similar case to El Mihdawy’s, Arreche was found guilty of match-fixing, which led to him being banned from playing competitively for four years. Echazu was accused of breaching several anti-corruption rules in the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, earning him a little over two years of ban.

Match-fixing continues to be a hurdle as it defeats the purpose of sports and exploits the gambling industry. Numerous sports and betting organizations remain in a constant struggle against fraud, giving their best to ensure the integrity of professional sporting events. In March, the sports data giant Sportradar reported a concerning number of match-fixing reports. Because of this, the company launched Sportradar Integrity Exchange – a network that helps gambling operators join the fight against fraud.