The International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) has provisionally suspended Peruvian tennis player Mauricio Echazu Puente, pending a further anti-corruption investigation.
Puente is prohibited from competing in or attending any tennis events sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport. The ban was handed out by Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Raj Parker.
An ITIA statement said: “The ITIA may at any time make an application to an AHO for a provisional suspension of a covered person, including before a notice of major offense has been issued, before a hearing or at any time after a hearing but prior to the AHO’s issuance of a written decision. “Provisional suspensions shall ordinarily be determined on written submissions unless the AHO considers an oral hearing necessary.”
The ITIA has issued a number of bans this year. It recently handed a lifetime ban to Morocco’s Simohamed Hirs, as well as bans to two Uzbekistani players over match fixing offences.
