 The 2008 Australian Open will be protected against corruption |
Organisers of next year's Australian Open have linked up with anti-corruption police to ensure the tournament remains above suspicion. The sport has been hit by rumours of match-fixing and player betting in 2007 and Tennis Australia (TA) has formed a partnership with Victoria Police.
"Match-fixing and illegal gambling are a threat to the integrity of sport," said TA chief executive Steve Wood.
"We're putting our policies, procedures and programme in place to protect it."
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World number four Nikolay Davydenko was questioned by the ATP earlier this year when a foot injury forced him to withdraw from a match against Martin Vassallo in Poland which was the subject of irregular betting patterns.
Other incidents to hit the sport include allegations of poisoning in the Davis Cup and players admitting they had been offered money to lose matches.
The Australian Open in Melbourne starts on 14 January, with the police operation headed by detective superintendent Jack Blayney.
"We want to send a very clear message to anyone intending to take part in this type of activity that we will be watching them very closely and if they are caught they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he said.
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