(Getty)
BBC, along with Buzzfeed, are investigating possible match fixing taking place at Wimbledon. The documents they have obtained reveal evidence of a widespread European gambling ring, suggesting that corruption in the sport may be a bigger problem than estimated.
The ATP originally called for an investigation into a match in 2008 between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello, which was linked to large amounts of betting in Russia and Italy. That exposed a larger web of matches authorities believed to be fixed, three of which were at Wimbledon.
The sport’s police unit- the Tennis Integrity Unit- cleared the players of any violations. In fact, reporting reveals that as many as 28 players were recommended to be investigated for match corruption. The TIU did not discipline any of them.
The BBC will reveal more details in an upcoming special. In the program they speak with former police chief Ben Gunn, who believes that the TIU wanted to suppress any indication of match fixing.
“There is an element of actually keeping things under wraps,” Gunn says in the special. “If they were really serious about dealing with this then they really need to create an integrity unit with teeth.”
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Wimbledon Match Fixing: Details & Investigation