London, Dec 03: Tennis authorities were reported yesterday to be set to draw up plans to prevent insider dealing in information, following a scandal over alleged match-fixing and betting which hit the sport six weeks ago.
Mark Miles, chief executive of the Association of Tennis Professionals which runs the men's game, admits it would be practically impossible to ban betting.
But the ATP wants to try to build what it calls a "firewall" between the sport and the betting industry.
They want to lay down new rules affecting everyone with an accreditation - guests, media, medics and even VIPs to prevent anyone walking into the players lounge, seeing someone throwing up or struggling with an injury and passing on the information.
The information is believed to be behind huge surges of betting on obscure first-round matches, and the ATP believes one or two people accredited as journalists may have caused them by passing on the knowledge.



How effective outlawing such insider activity could be is questionable, but the ATP is keen to attempt it, apparently believing insider dealing is a bigger problem than matchfixing



"There is a sleazy outside element we are not in control of," David Higdon, the ATP's vice-president of communications, told the Guardian newspaper.



A system of penalties was put in place two years ago and any player found guilty of match-fixing would be banned for three years and fined 100,000 dollars.



Players, coaches, ATP tour and tournament officials and even immediate relatives of players are banned from betting on tennis.


Bureau Report