New Delhi: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has ratified all five nominations for the Sports Person of Outstanding Merit (SOM) Executive Committee, while the eight candidates who had originally filed nominations for the SOM General Body have also been declared valid, setting the stage for the next phase of the federation’s electoral process.The five candidates whose nominations for the Executive Committee have been found valid are Ankita Bhambri, Janaki Krishnamoorthy, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza and Vishal Uppal.The list for the SOM General Body features eight names: Ankita Bhambri, Ashutosh Singh, Gaurav Natekar, Janaki Krishnamoorthy, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, Shalini Thakur Chawla and Vishal Uppal.The ratification means all eight candidates who had filed nominations for the General Body have cleared the scrutiny process. The five candidates for the Executive Committee are also through, with the two lists sharing the same five names.Bhupathi and Sania, two of India’s most accomplished tennis players, have filed nominations for both positions. The other three candidates in the Executive Committee race are former players Ankita Bhambri, Janaki Krishnamoorthy and current Billie Jean King Cup captain Vishal Uppal.The development follows the nomination process for the November 7 SOM elections, which has attracted considerable attention after former India tennis star Leander Paes did not file his nomination.Paes, the only player in Tier I of the 40-member SOM roster, was seen as a potential candidate for the AITA presidency after the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA), headed by him, publicly backed his candidature.However, his absence from the SOM nominations has effectively ruled out that route to the presidency. Under the amended AITA Constitution, Paes remains ineligible to contest as a state representative as he has not completed at least one term as an office-bearer in a state association. While he can participate in the November 27 AITA elections as Bengal’s representative, he cannot contest for a position in the national body through that route.The amended AITA Constitution provides for four SOM representatives in the General Body, comprising two men and two women, and two representatives in the 15-member Executive Committee, with one position each reserved for a man and a woman.The SOM framework is part of the broader effort to ensure greater representation of accomplished sportspersons in the governance of national sports federations under the new sports governance rules.Bhupathi, a former world No. 1 in doubles and multiple Grand Slam champion, had earlier underlined the importance of having elite athletes involved in sports administration.With the nominations now ratified, the focus shifts to the SOM electoral process ahead of the AITA’s November 27 elections.
