Indian tennis greats Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza have filed their nominations for the All India Tennis Association's (AITA) Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections, seeking representation in the federation's General Body (GB) and Executive Committee (EC). However, Leander Paes, India's most successful tennis player, has surprisingly stayed away from the November 7 elections, effectively ruling himself out of the race for the AITA presidency.
Paes was the only player placed in Tier I of the 40-player SOM roster, making his absence from the nominations particularly significant. The Bengal Tennis Association (BTA), which is headed by Paes himself, had publicly backed his candidature for the AITA president's post. However, his failure to enter the SOM elections means he cannot contest for the position under the eligibility requirements of the amended AITA constitution.
Although Paes can still participate in the November 27 AITA elections as a representative of Bengal, he remains ineligible to contest for the presidency through that route.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐
Under Rule 12(B) of the amended AITA constitution, a person seeking election or nomination as president, secretary general or treasurer must fulfil at least one of three eligibility conditions.
The candidate must either be an SOM General Body representative, have previously served at least one full term on the AITA Executive Committee in any capacity, or have served as president, secretary general or treasurer of an affiliated state association.
Paes does not currently meet these conditions through his position as a state representative. His route to contesting the presidency therefore depended on securing election as an SOM representative.
His decision not to file a nomination has consequently ended that possibility for the upcoming elections, despite the support extended by the Bengal Tennis Association.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐
According to the nominations list, eight former players have entered the contest for SOM representation in the AITA General Body.
Apart from Bhupathi and Sania, the candidates include Ankita Bhambri, current Davis Cup coach Ashutosh Singh, Gaurav Natekar, Janaki Krishnamoorthy, Shalini Thakur Chawla and current Billie Jean King Cup captain Vishal Uppal.
The contest for Executive Committee representation has attracted five nominees: Bhupathi, Sania, Ankita, Janaki and Uppal.
Bhupathi, a former world number one in doubles and multiple Grand Slam champion, stressed the importance of involving accomplished former players in the administration of national sports federations.
"I think every federation needs players who have played at the highest level to help transform the sport, a case in point is what Gopi (P Gopichand) has done for badminton has been transformational," Bhupathi told PTI.
His remarks underline the growing demand for former international players to have a greater role in shaping policies, strengthening development programmes and improving the administration of Indian tennis.
๐จ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ
Vishal Uppal, who currently captains India's Billie Jean King Cup team, also expressed his desire to contribute more directly to the development of tennis in the country.
"As someone who is deep rooted in the ground realities of Indian Tennis, it is important for me to put my hands up and contribute to Indian tennis in a greater way," Uppal told PTI.
"I have been working hard, doing my bit, but there is a lot more that needs to be done and I am committed to working tirelessly, engaging with all the stakeholders and bringing the changes Indian tennis needs to grow and thrive," he added.
Uppal's candidature comes at a time when the federation is preparing to accommodate greater player representation within its decision-making structure.
๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
The amended AITA constitution provides for four SOM representatives in the General Body, comprising two men and two women.
Additionally, two SOM representatives, one man and one woman, will be elected to the federation's 15-member Executive Committee.
The framework forms part of broader sports governance reforms intended to ensure that accomplished athletes participate in the administration of national sports federations.
The changes are designed to give sportspersons a formal role in decision-making, allowing their experience of international competition, player development and professional sporting systems to contribute to federation policies.
The November 7 SOM elections will determine which former players secure these positions before the wider AITA elections scheduled for November 27.
๐๐ต๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ถ, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Bhupathi and Sania are among India's most accomplished tennis players, having enjoyed successful careers on the international circuit.
Bhupathi, a former doubles world number one, won multiple Grand Slam titles and played a significant role in establishing India as a competitive force in international doubles tennis.
Sania, also a former doubles world number one, won six Grand Slam titles across women's doubles and mixed doubles. She remains one of India's most prominent sporting figures and helped raise the profile of women's tennis in the country.
Their participation in the SOM elections introduces two internationally experienced players into the contest for representation within the federation.
With Paes absent, attention will now turn to the eight candidates seeking General Body positions and the five nominees competing for Executive Committee representation.
The results of the November 7 elections will determine the sportsperson representatives who will participate in the next phase of AITA's administrative transition ahead of the November 27 polls.