Chinese tennis player Pang Renlong has been banned from playing for 12 years and fined $1100,000 after being determined to have arranged consecutive scores in 22 matches in just 5 months.
According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), the 25-year-old admitted to arranging his own five games in lower leagues, and bribed and lured other players in 11 games, six of which were decided.
The ITIA said the violations occurred between May and September 2024. During this period, Pang Renlong participated in many ITF tournaments in Turkey and China, and was eliminated from the qualifying round of the ATP Challenger Jinan Open.
The agency did not disclose a detailed list of the matches that were arranged. Pang Renlong reached his highest career ranking of 1,316 ATP in 2024.
The tennis player's ban is valid until 2036, including the previous suspension period. Of the $110,000 fine, $70,000 was suspended.
In addition to being banned from competing, Pang Renlong is also not allowed to participate in training, work or appear at any event organized by major international tennis organizations or national tennis federations.
A week earlier, the ITIA also announced that French tennis player Quentin Folliot would be banned from playing for 20 years for his involvement in an organized ranking line and recruitment of other players. Folliot is the sixth player to be heavily punished in the group-related incident.
