Dec 29 (Reuters) - The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) will handle both anti-doping and anti-corruption programmes in the sport from Jan. 1, 2022, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Wednesday.

The sport's anti-doping programme was previously overseen by the ITF but the Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board unanimously confirmed the ITIA would take over next year.

The ITIA was established in January by the governing bodies of tennis (ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam Board) as a fully independent body to safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.

The ITIA was previously known as the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), investigating corruption and match fixing. In May, the body had hired the former head of UK Anti-Doping, Nicole Sapstead, as its senior director of anti-doping. read more

"Having one fully integrated organisation working on both anti-doping and anti-corruption creates a major opportunity for the sport," said Jennie Price, the chair of the Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board.

"Shared intelligence and shared resources will make us more efficient, and most importantly, more effective."

The ITF also said the board agreed a budget of $15.8 million for the ITIA's operations next year to cover both anti-corruption and anti-doping efforts.

Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar

Source: Reuters

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