An eight-year-old tennis player from Ukraine was disqualified from the Canterbury Junior Winter Tournament in New Zealand after referees noticed she was wearing an earpiece concealed under her hair. Local Kiwi newspaper The Press reports that Anastasia Ko

Players in the under-10 tournament are supposed to keep their own score and referee their own games. Rules forbid youngsters from communicating with their parents or guardians during games.

Anastasia’s father Dmitry said he noticed several suspicious calls over the first two days of the competition: “It was obvious girls were taking advantage of Anya because she was playing for the first time,” he said.

Ho he decided he’d help the girl keep the score and gave her a receiver similar to those referees use to communicate with each other. When it was discovered, Anastasia was disqualified.

Dmitry Korzh rejects suggestions the earpiece was part of a plot to help the girl cheat. If anything it was a disadvantage, he argued, because having one ear covered worsens co-ordination.

The ruling body said if Ayna was not old enough to keep the score, then she shouldn’t have been taking part in the tournament.