Tennis: Koellerer loses plea over life ban

PARIS: Austrian tennis player Daniel Koellerer lost his appeal against a lifetime ban for attempted match-fixing. The former world number 55 had already been found guilty by the Tennis Integrity Unit in April last year of violating the anti-corruption programme. Koellerer appealed his punishment but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the ban, although the body did strike out the player’s $100,000 fine. “The CAS has confirmed the decision to rule that Koellerer be permanently ineligible to participate in any event organised or sanctioned by ATP, WTA, ITF and the Grand Slam Committee,” read a statement. “However, the CAS has decided to set aside the fine which had been imposed on the player.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2012.