Bengal Tennis Association president and tennis legend Leander Paes has formally applied for inclusion in the All-India Tennis Association's roster of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit.
Indian tennis great and current Bengal Tennis Association (BTA) president Leander Paes has applied to join the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) roster of Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM), the BTA announced on social media.
Under AITA’s amended constitution, a roster of 20 male and 20 female SOMs will be prepared. From this group, two men and two women will be elected to the AITA General Body with voting rights, and two SOMs—one man and one woman—will sit on the 15-member Executive Committee. SOMs elected to the General Body are eligible to apply for the Executive Committee and run for top leadership positions, including AITA president, general secretary, and treasurer.
Applications for the SOM roster opened on August 15. On August 19, the AITA wrote to the Union Sports Ministry seeking an expansion of the selection criteria. While the National Sports Governance Act prioritises achievements in the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games, the AITA requested adding Grand Slams, ATP and WTA tournaments, Davis Cup, and Billie Jean King Cup to reflect tennis weightage.
Regardless of potential criteria additions, Paes qualifies as a Tier 1 SOM by virtue of his singles bronze medal win at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics—India's first individual Olympic medal since K.D. Jadhav’s bronze in 1952.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.