TIU Suspends Brit for 7 Months, Bans for Lifetime Ukranian

The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) announced in two press releases December 4 that two players have been punished for different offenses. Unranked British player George Kennedy has been banned from tennis for a total of seven months, while Ukranian Stanislav Poplavskyy has been issued with a lifetime ban from the sport.

George Kennedy Suspended

George Kennedy admitted to two gambling-related charges during a disciplinary case against him and was served with a 7-month suspension and a fine of $10,000 with $9,000 suspended for the period of the ban. December 1 Anti-Corruption Officer Jane Mulcahy, QC found the Brit in breach of two sections of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP), after placing bets on tennis matches.

For betting on tennis matches from accounts on his own name as well as on behalf of another person, Kennedy was found in breach of Section D.1.a and Section D.1.b of the TACP and got 6 months (with 3 suspended) for the first offense and 7 months (with 3 suspended) for the second, with both bans running concurrently.

Effective December 1, George Kennedy is prohibited from playing or attending any tennis event which is authorized or sanctioned by the governing bodies supporting the TIU initiative, the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA, for a period of 7 months.

Stanislav Poplavskyy Banned for Life

Ukranian tennis player Stanislav Poplavskyy was found in breach of the TACP after he had partaken in match fixing and courtsiding activities on multiple occasions for the period between 2015 to 2019, and has been issued with a lifetime ban from tennis by the TIU.

The Ukranian who ranked 440 in the ATP at one time during his tennis career was found guilty of both delivering live scoring data from a match for betting purposes to third parties, courtsiding, as well as a failure to report multiple occasions in which he was asked to contrive matches.

Anti-Corruption Officer Richard McLaren served a lifetime ban and a $10,000 fine for the charges related to Sections D.1.b, D.1.c, D.1.d, D.2.a.i, and D.2.a.ii of the TACP which Poplavskyy accepted, and starting from December 1, the Ukranian player is prohibited from playing or attending any tennis event sanctioned by the governing bodies.

The ban issued to Poplavskyy is similar to the one dished to Bulgarian professional player Aleksandrina Naydenova in November, after the TIU investigation charged her with 12 offenses related to match-fixing and non-cooperation with the investigation.

Established to promote, encourage and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis globally, the TIU initiative is set to become an independent body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency, effective January 1, 2021.