JAKARTA - The tennis world was shaken by an integrity scandal again after the Chinese tennis player, Pang Renlong, was officially sentenced to a 12-year ban. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Friday, local time, that the 25-year-old athlete was proven to be involved in a wide-ranging score-fixing syndicate. In addition to the playing ban, Pang was also fined a fantastic $110,000 or around Rp1.8 billion.
Reported by The Independent, Saturday, December 20, Pang admitted that he had manipulated the results in the five matches he played in the lower-level tournament. Not only that, he also admitted to "corrupt approaches" to other players in 11 additional matches, of which six ended in score arrangements. This illegal practice was carried out in a relatively short period of time, namely between May and September 2024.
The activity of arranging the score was spread across various ITF tournaments held in Turkey, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Pang, who once reached a world ranking of 1,316 last year, even took part in the ATP Challenger Jinan Open qualifiers in China when the scandal took place. However, ITIA chose not to specify which matches were involved in the scheme.
As a result of this serious violation, Pang's professional career is practically over because his suspension period is valid until 2036. According to strict integrity rules, he is strictly prohibited from playing, training, or even attending any tennis event approved by international tennis organizations or national federations. Of the total fine imposed, amounting to 70,000 US dollars, it is suspended under the applicable law.
Pang's case adds to the long list of tennis "mafia" cleanups by the ITIA, following a 20-year sanction imposed on French player Quentin Folliot earlier this month. This phenomenon is a bitter reminder for the professional tennis world just before the 2026 season begins.
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