Three tennis officials and two fighters have received bans for breaching integrity and anti-doping rules, according to announcements from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and the International Testing Agency (ITA).
Tennis Officials Banned for Corruption
The ITIA confirmed that Luis Rodríguez, Antonio Sosa, and Wellingthon López—all from the Dominican Republic—have been punished for inputting false match data to enable betting, with incidents occurring between 2018 and 2021. Their cases were handled by Independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Richard Young.
- Rodríguez was banned for life and fined $15,000. His offences related to six matches between 2018 and 2020. The decision took effect on 21 January 2025.
- Sosa received a five-year ban and a $3,000 fine for two matches in 2021. His ban is backdated to 3 October 2022 and ends on 2 October 2027.
- López was banned for four years and six months and fined $1,000, linked to two matches in 2019 and 2020. His suspension started on 27 October 2021 and runs until 26 April 2026.
Fighters Sanctioned for Doping
The ITA also handed out doping bans to two athletes:
- Abbos Bozorboyev of Uzbekistan received a four-year suspension for testing positive for meldonium, a banned substance used for heart conditions. The sample was collected during the 2024 Asian Kickboxing Championships in Cambodia. His ban runs from 21 November 2024 to 20 November 2028, and all results from 13 October 2024 have been cancelled.
- Jaime Samuel Sierra Lara, a Mexican MMA athlete, tested positive for bumetanide, a banned diuretic. His sample was collected on 18 November 2023 during an out-of-competition test. He has been banned for 24 months until 6 April 2027, and all results from the date of testing have been disqualified.
These latest sanctions highlight ongoing efforts by international bodies to tackle corruption and doping in sport.
