CAS upholds lifetime ban on Serbian tennis player
Published 24 September 2012
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the decision by the Professional Tennis Integrity Officers (PTIOs) to impose a lifetime ban on the Serbian tennis player David Savic. Savic, who reached a high of 363 in the world rankings, was found guilty of 'contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event' in October 2011 following reports that he invited another player to engage in match fixing. Although the details of the allegations have never been disclosed, CAS considered that the 'disputed facts had been proven not only by a preponderance of the evidence but indeed to the panel's comfortable satisfaction'.
CAS considered a lifetime ban to be proportionate and the player is therefore ineligible to participate in any event organised by a tennis governing body as a result of the corruption conviction. CAS did however set aside the PTIO's decision to impose an additional $100,000 fine on Savic. In doing so, CAS followed the decision in the Daniel Koellerer case, in which it was determined that the permanent ineligibility was sufficient punishment and sufficient deterrent. Savic is only the second tennis player to receive a life ban, Koellerer being the first in May 2012.
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