Daniel Koellerer loses appeal of ban

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Austrian tennis player Daniel Koellerer became the first player banned for life for match-fixing, losing his appeal at sport's highest court on Friday.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the challenge to a ban imposed by the Tennis Integrity Unit created by the professional tours and international governing body.

Koellerer allegedly "made invitations to other tennis players to fix matches on five occasions," the court said in a statement. "The panel ruled that the tennis governing bodies had met their burden of proof."

However, the court decided Koellerer should not pay a $100,000 fine previously ordered.

"The player did not benefit financially from any of the charges for which he has been found liable," according to the panel of three arbitrators.

Koellerer was the first player banned for life for attempted corruption after being found guilty of violations from October 2009 to July 2010.

He challenged his expulsion at a two-day CAS hearing held last November. The court upheld his ban, "acknowledging that the sanction was sufficiently high enough to reflect the seriousness of the corruption offences."

Koellerer's ranking peaked at No. 55 in October 2009.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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