ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Sept. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elections to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Board of Directors were held in Cancun, Mexico. Under the auspices of a special election commission and independent auditors, voting took place through secret ballot among eligible ITF members. Bulat Utemuratov, President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, was re-elected to the Board of Directors for a new term, running from 2023-27. It will be his third term as a member of the Board.
Such recognition and trust on the part of the global tennis community is testament to the consistent delivery of election promises and the implementation of vital tasks to advance the global tennis agenda. Over the past four years, Bulat Utemuratov has helped pay special attention to issues of transparency within the organization, as well as to increasing organizational effectiveness through the introduction of necessary governance changes, such as the separation of roles between President and CEO, in line with best corporate practices. Relevant amendments were made to the ITF's constitution and internal documents to incorporate these developments.
As Vice President of the ITF, Bulat Utemuratov also worked to advance children's tennis, particularly in the under-12 age categories, by holding various regional team competitions. This age is critical for children's development because they need international tournament practice, but the majority of young players do not have sufficient resources to travel. To address the problem, five of the most in-need regions of the world were awarded support: Oceania, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. The KTF President personally awarded more than $3 million in additional funding to help stage the regional team championships, in which more than 1,000 children from the five regions participated.
"I believe that the tennis community should unite as much as possible to realize the enormous potential of our sport, which is in the top-3 in terms of audience, but barely in the top-10 in terms of financial income. We need to make every effort to realize our opportunities, deliver significantly more resources to build new courts and facilities, stage tournaments, and fund talented players in all corners of the world," Bulat Utemuratov said after the announcement of the voting results.
In 2021, Kazakhstan increased the number of votes it has to exercise at the annual general meeting (AGM) from 5 to 7. This is the third-highest of six ITF membership levels awarded to national federations. Representatives of 155 countries voted for this decision at the 2021 AGM — a sign of the significant progress made to develop tennis in Kazakhstan, which is now among the world's top 20 tennis powers.
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