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Remit for tennis' Independent Review Panel confirmed

Tennis' governing bodies - ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam Board - have announced the protocols for a panel established to investigate corruption allegations.
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The remit for the Independent Review Panel (IRP) that will investigate allegations of corruption and effectiveness of existing anti-corruption practices and procedures within international professional tennis has been announced by the sport's four governing bodies.

The ATP, WTA, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Grand Slam Board established the IRP's protocols after it was revealed on Tuesday that two tennis officials had been banned on match-fixing charges and a further four are under investigation.

The panel will review the effectiveness of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP), the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) and the Tennis Integrity Protection Programme (TIPP) and recommend any changes, with a full report expected to take at least one year.

The IRP - led by Adam Lewis QC, who will appoint another two members before the end of February - will have wide powers, including the right to request the production of documents and the ability to carry out interviews as it considers appropriate.

"In carrying out the Independent Review, the IRP will engage with all relevant parties. This will not be limited to the stakeholders in tennis and will extend to bodies outside of tennis, including international and state bodies, law enforcement agencies, betting operators and other relevant organisations," a statement read.

"While there is no fixed deadline for the IRP to complete its Independent Review, it is expected that the full review will take at least 12 months with the publication of an Interim Report during that time."

The review was initially announced after the Australian Open in January, with the tournament overshadowed by allegations of widespread match-fixing made beforehand in a joint investigation by BuzzFeed and the BBC.

It was claimed that tennis authorities failed to act upon repeated warnings regarding claims of match-fixing involving a number of players on the professional circuit.

It was also alleged that a US Open champion and a doubles winner at Wimbledon were among a group of 16 players who had repeatedly been reported for losing when highly suspicious bets were placed against them.

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