Match-fixing charge surfaces ahead of Australian Open
BRISBANE, Australia — Match-fixing in tennis is back on the radar, less than two weeks before the Australian Open.
Victoria state police on Thursday charged an 18-year-old man following an investigation by detectives from the Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit into allegations of match-fixing at a lower-tier tournament in Traralgon, 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Melbourne, in October.
Police did not disclose the name or other details of the man, but said he will appear at the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on March 2 charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome.
Victoria Police assistant commissioner Neil Paterson said the integrity of sport remained an issue for law enforcement because “match-fixing is one of the fastest growing organized crime types across the world.”