A new set of officers will be culled from a board of trustees when the Philippine Tennis Associations holds an election on 11 December, the Philippine Olympic Committee said yesterday.
Backed by the International Tennis Federation, the election will take place at the Century Park Sheraton, leaving POC president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino finally heaving a sigh of relief given the difficulties the crisis had been causing the last three years.
The Philta was suspended by the ITF for having an “exclusive membership” and not regular representation.
But it would soon be welcomed back into the ITF’s arms soon.
“It’s a crisis that dragged on for years and we are glad that the ITF has commented on the amended by-laws and gave the Philta a path back to recognition,” Tolentino said.
An ad hoc body was created by the POC to oversee the operations of the Philta the last few years while revising its charter that hinges on membership bordering on genuine nationwide representation.
Hannah McLean, the ITF’s legal counsel, and Thomas Needham were pivotal in ironing out the Philta’s kinks.
POC deputy head of legal Atty. Billy Sumagui led the amendment of the by-laws that now require the Philta BOT to have 13 members from geographic sectors consisting of the country’s various regions.
The amended by-laws were based on the original 1955 and revised 2020 Philta by-laws, ITF constitution, Hongkong Tennis Association by-laws, The Rule of Tennis and the Philippine Corporate Law.
