Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi nomination ratified for AITA elections

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi New Delhi: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has ratified all five nominations for the Sports Personality of Outstanding Merit (SOM) executive committee, with the eight candidates who initially filed nominations for the SOM general body also being declared valid, paving the way for the next phase of the federation’s election process.The five candidates whose nominations to the executive committee have been found valid are Ankita Bhambri, Janaki Krishnamoorthy, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza and Vishal Uppal.The list for SOM General Body includes eight names: Ankita Bhambri, Ashutosh Singh, Gaurav Natekar, Janaki Krishnamoorthy, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, Shalini Thakur Chawla and Vishal Uppal.The ratification means that all eight candidates who submitted nominations to the general body have passed the review process. The five candidates for the Executive Committee are also finalised, with both lists having the same five names.Bhupathi and Sania, two of India’s most successful female tennis players, have submitted 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 that attracted considerable attention after former Indian tennis star Leander Paes did not file his nomination.Paes, the only Tier I player from the 40-member SOM roster, was considered a potential candidate for the AITA president after the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA), which he heads, publicly endorsed his candidature.However, his absence from the SOM nominations effectively ruled out that path to the presidency. According to the amended AITA constitution, Paes remains ineligible to run as a state representative because he has not completed at least one term in the state association. While he can contest the AITA elections on November 27 as a representative of Bengal, he cannot contest for a seat on the national body through that route.The amended AITA constitution provides for four SOM representatives in the General Assembly, consisting of two men and two women, and two representatives in the 15-member Executive Committee, with one seat reserved for a man and a woman.The SOM framework is part of a wider effort to ensure greater representation of experienced athletes in the governance of national sports associations under the new rules of sports governance.Bhupathi, a former world number one in doubles and multiple Grand Slam champion, has earlier emphasized the importance of involving elite athletes in sports governance.With the nominations now ratified, attention shifts to the SOM election process ahead of the AITA elections on 27 November.