Karen and Yuri Khachatryan have been found to have committed a number of match-fixing offences by the anti-corruption organization The Tennis Integrity Unit. The investigation has resulted in the pair of Bulgarian brothers being banned from the sport and ordered to pay significant fines for their breach of the rules.
The initiative was launched by a collective of the Association of Tennis Professionals (STP), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation and tennis' four Grand Slam tournaments, the group of regulatory watchdogs said it will be ‘committed to a zero tolerance approach to corruption in tennis.’
After the Tennis Integrity Unit concluded its findings it stated the 26 year old Karen Khachatryan received a lifetime ban from professional tennis and a $250,000 fine. The evidence revealed that the tennis professional was involved in five instances of match-fixing between 2017 and 2019. The tennis player was already suspended from play since June of 2019 but continued on at least nine occasions to solicit other players to not play with their best efforts during a match.
A statement from the Tennis Integrity Unit read, “As a result of his conviction, Mr Khachatryan is now permanently excluded from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis event organized or recognized by the governing bodies of the sport.”
The 20 year old brother Yuri Khachatryan was also sanctioned by the Tennis Integrity Unit for ten years and required to pay a $50,000 fine for his involvement in approaching a fellow professional tennis player to commit a corrupt act. The young player was also caught making wagers on matches as well as helping others also make bets.
The Tennis Integrity Unit issued a similar statement about Yuri Khachatryan banning him from play for ten years as a result of his involvement in corruption.
