BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tennis player Pang Renlong has been suspended from the sport for a period of 12 years and fined 110,000 US dollars, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Saturday.
The decision comes after Pang was found to have fixed or attempted to fix 22 matches between May and September 2024.
Pang, 25, admitted to fixing five of his own singles matches at the ITF World Tennis Tour M15, M25, and ATP Challenger 50 levels. Additionally, he was said to have made 17 corrupt approaches to other players, leading to the fixing of six more matches.
Pang, who achieved a career-high singles ranking of 1,316 in November 2024, accepted the agreed sanction with the ITIA and waived his right to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer.
The time served under his provisional suspension will be credited toward the player's total period of ineligibility. Having been provisionally suspended since November 7, 2024, Pang's suspension will end on November 6, 2036, subject to repayment of outstanding fines.
During this period of ineligibility, Pang is prohibited from competing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis events authorized or sanctioned by ITIA member organizations. These include the ATP, ITF and WTA, along with national associations of Australia, France, Britain and the United States. ■
