How an international table tennis match-fixing syndicate with ties to Adam Green was smashed by police

Adam Green was arrested on Wednesday morning. He is accused of using corrupt conduct information to bet on an event and dealing with proceeds of crime. The former Australian table tennis player was training in Europe and had been considered a 2012 Olympic hopeful. Forbes magazine reported in June that table-tennis matches in Ukraine were timed to meet betting peak times. International money transfers provided clues. NSW police have tracked betting trails tied to money remittance involving about $500,000. Green's personal gain from the funds is alleged to be about a quarter of a million dollars.

Victoria Police's future top cop, Graham Ashton, made combating corruption in sport one of his legacies as an officer. In September 2013, he helped detectives uncover a match-fixing operation involving Victoria's Premier League soccer competition. He alleged more than $2 million had been wagered by a notorious European criminal syndicate on fixed matches in Melbourne involving the Southern Stars Football Club.

Victorian detectives busted an alleged international esports fixing ring in 2019. Tennis matches in Brazil and Egypt were also fixed. Former ASADA chief David Sharpe was appointed as head of Sport Integrity Australia in July. He is working with sports integrity unit, organised crime squad and sporting codes and agencies. The federal government accepted James Wood's recommendations to create a new national agency.

Adam Green was arrested at his Newcastle home on Wednesday morning. SportsBet and TABtouch opened betting markets on international table tennis tournaments. Sport Integrity Australia is preparing to brief European authorities about the case. Arrests are possible. The borders that once shielded suspected match-fixers no longer offer the same protection.