Hundreds in attendance at first virtual ITF Conference and AGM

The first virtual annual general meeting in the 107-year history of the International Tennis Federation took place on Saturday, with a total of 235 delegates representing 132 national associations tuning in from around the world to take part.

This year’s AGM had been due to take place in Madrid ahead of the second edition of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals but was changed to a virtual event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Davis Cup Finals were also postponed until 2021, with the 18 teams who qualified for the event now set to compete for the title in Madrid next November.

ITF President David Haggerty began the meeting by paying tribute to ITF member nations, regional associations, the board and staff for rising to the challenges faced in a unique year – and expressed hope that delegates would be able to meet in person again next year.

“For the good of the sport, it has never been more important for us to come together,” Haggerty said. “Modern technology, with live virtual streaming, has enabled us to overcome the temporary barriers that have been placed in our path.”

Three resolutions were passed by the national associations at the meeting. The first motion to be approved was to remove all gender-biased language in the ITF constitution, which will be replaced with gender-neutral language.

Additionally, the AGM delegates approved a change in the maximum number of Vice-Presidents elected each term from three to four, and agreed that the ITF would assert jurisdiction over virtual or simulated versions of traditional tennis (“e-tennis”).

Among other matters discussed, the national associations of Burundi, Laos, Macau, Maldives, Seychelles and Tanzania moved from Class C membership to Class B membership, giving each nation one vote at the ITF AGM. The national associations of Portugal and Ukraine increased their vote shares from three to five.

Finally, nine awards for services to the game were presented – all of which were approved unanimously. The recipients were: Calton Enrique Alvarez Aguilar (HON), Hans-Peter Born (GER),  Slah Bramly (TUN), Margalita Chakhnashivili-Ranzinger (GEO), Marina Marienko (RUS), Barry McMillan (AUS), Toshiro Sakai (JPN), Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) and Ian Barclay (AUS).

The 2021 ITF Conference AGM is scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain ahead of the Davis Cup Finals in November next year.