Bhupathi and Sania named SOMs for AITA executive committee

Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza were chosen on Thursday in Bengaluru as the two Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit for the 15-member All India Tennis Association executive committee that will be constituted later this year after fresh elections. They are also among four SOMs who have been elected to the AITA General Body.

The selections were made from a roster of 40 players on Thursday, with Bhupathi and Mirza confirmed as the male and female SOMs for the executive committee. The AITA Constitution was amended in July in line with the National Sports Governance Act to provide for four SOM representatives in the General Body (two male and two female) and two SOM representatives in the executive committee (one male and one female).

By accepting the executive committee SOM positions, Bhupathi and Sania will be ineligible to contest the polls for other office-bearer posts, including president, general secretary and treasurer. The 15-member executive committee will be formed after the fresh elections scheduled to take place later this year.

The other two former players elected as SOMs to the AITA General Body are current Davis Cup coach Ashutosh Singh and former Billie Jean King Cup captain Shalini Thakur Chawla.

It remains to be seen in which direction proceedings in the Delhi High Court with respect to amending the AITA Constitution go; the High Court is scheduled to hear on Friday administrator Justice (retd.) Gita Mittal’s request to implead the AITA Trust and the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association for corruption, and the contempt petition filed against AITA’s interim office-bearers for "active obstruction and suppression of information" from the administrator.