Australian Open Gets Anti-Corruption Unit to Fight Match-Fixing

Australian Open organizers
established an anti-corruption committee and appointed an
investigator to battle gaming and possible match-fixing at
the season-opening Expansive Slam lawn tennis tournament.

Tennis Commonwealth Of Australia said today it would also put up a telephone
hotline to describe alleged corruption, prohibition the unauthorised usage of
laptop computing machines courtside and addition limitations on entree to
players.

'' We don't believe our athletics have a corruptness problem
but we make acknowledge that a menace to the unity of tennis
exists,'' Tennis Commonwealth Of Australia Head Executive Military Officer Steve Wood
said in an e-mailed statement.

The athletics is taking measurements against the menace of match-
fixing after an Internet gaming land site reported suspicious
betting activity and more than than a twelve participants said publicly that
they were approached to throw matches. The men's adenosine triphosphate Tour last
month suspended Italy's Alessio Di Mauro for placing 120 online
bets.

Di Mauro was establish to have got wagered on the lucifers of other
players from Nov. 2, 2006, through June 12 of this year. An ATP
investigation establish that he didn't effort to wager on his own
matches, nor did he seek to repair a match. The Italian Tennis
Federation said in a statement Nov. Eleven that that the penalty
was ''too severe.''

In August, Betfair nullified all $7 million in bets on a
loss by fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko to St Martin Vassallo
Arguello, then rated 70 topographic points lower. As the lucifer in Poland
progressed, more than stakes were placed on Davydenko to lose, even
after he won the first set, Betfair said. Davydenko have denied
wrongdoing.

Outside Help

Tennis's opinion organic structures agreed Oct. Twelve to utilize outside aid to
investigate and forestall possible corruption. The International
Tennis Federation, adenosine triphosphate Tour, WTA Tour, and the Thousand Slam
Committee program to name an independent panel early adjacent year
to measure the danger that gaming presents to the sport.

Until recommendations are made by that panel, Tennis
Australia's anti-corruption policy will move as a hindrance for
potential match-fixing and illegal gaming at the Thousand Slam
tournament, Wood said.

Other measurements include the assignment of Sal Perna, a
former Melbourne murder detective, as Tennis Australia's first
Investigations Officer, and a block on betting Web land sites on
publicly accessible computing machines at Melbourne Park.

''This is an interim protection measurement for the Australian
Open while globally our athletics finishes a comprehensive and
independent analysis of the overall menace to the unity of
tennis,'' Wood said. ''I fully anticipate that analysis will take to
the formation of a planetary unity unit of measurement for lawn tennis next year.''

To reach the newsman on this story:
Dan Baynes in Sydney at