The tennis world is reeling from the recent corruption scandal involving chair umpire Juan Gabriel Castro. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Castro has been handed a six-year suspension and a £4,655 fine for his alleged role in facilitating corruption within the sport, a decision confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
In a statement issued by the ITIA, it was revealed that Castro stands accused of a staggering 12 violations of the tennis anti-corruption program (TACP). The national-level official was initially placed under provisional suspension in early November, with the ban now extending until November 6, 2030. Interestingly, Castro chose not to respond to the ITIA’s notice of charge.
The charges levied against Castro pertain to three matches where the umpire is claimed to have manipulated the scoring entries to orchestrate the scorecard, thereby aiding corruption. The ITIA further clarified that under the 2025 TACP, a ‘deemed sanction’ can be issued to individuals who choose not to engage with the ITIA’s investigations and arbitration process.
The accused officials have a window of 10 business days to appeal against the deemed sanction to an independent anti-corruption hearing officer. However, Castro refrained from filing an appeal. The time he has already served under provisional suspension will be deducted from his period of ineligibility.
The terms of Castro’s suspension prohibit him from officiating or even attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by ITIA members (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Federation Francaise de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association.
This isn’t the first time the ITIA has had to clamp down on corruption within the sport. Recently, a string of similar sanctions have been issued. Just a year ago, Bulgarian tennis official Pavel Atanasov received a lifetime ban after being found guilty of 21 breaches of the TACP. Interestingly, Atanasov initially contested the charges but later withdrew his appeal, effectively admitting to a slew of offences that included manipulating scoring data for betting purposes and failing to report corrupt approaches.
In another significant move, the ITIA imposed a lifetime ban on Venezuelan tennis official Armando Belardi last May. His charges included facilitating wagering, manipulating the outcome of matches, and soliciting money to influence a player’s performance negatively.
Moreover, a 15-year ban was slapped on Spanish tennis player Aaron Cortes in April last year after he confessed to 35 violations of the TACP, including match-fixing and paying for a tournament wildcard.
These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the relentless battle against corruption within the sport and underscore the ITIA’s unwavering commitment to maintaining the integrity of tennis.
