ITF General Assembly in Hong Kong, October 9-11, 2024

13-10-2024 20:29:42  



27 African Countries Present
 
The 2024 ITF General Assembly saw the participation of 140 National Federations, including 26 African Federations represented by 31 delegates:
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Mauritania, Namibia, South Africa, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. 
 
On the sidelines of the General Assembly
9 October 2024:
 
An informal meeting of the delegates was held from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Mrs. Wanjiru Karani, Vice President of the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT), opened the session by welcoming all participants on behalf of Mr. Jean-Claude Talon, President of CAT, who was unable to attend due to last-minute circumstances beyond his control. Mr. Aziz Laarraf and Mr. Jonas Alberto Junior, Vice Presidents of CAT, Ms. Fatime Kanté, Women’s Representative within the CAT Executive Committee, and Mr. Hichem Riani, CAT Secretary General, were also present to lead the discussions. 
 
The meeting was marked by a brief 20-minute appearance by ITF President Mr. David Haggerty, who welcomed all African delegates attending the ITF General Assembly. Some delegates took the opportunity to ask him various questions, which he graciously answered before leaving for another regional meeting. 
 
Several topics were discussed during this informal meeting, including: 
The CAT event calendar for 2025. 
The results of various major African competitions. 
The CAT Quadrennial Development Plan. 
A summary of the discussions during the ITF & Regional Associations meeting on Strategy and Governance. 
Olympic Games qualifications.
The 2024 CAT General Assembly, which will take place in Mozambique on 3 November 2024. 
 
The discussion was open, and members of the CAT Executive Committee, as well as the Secretary General, answered all questions from the delegates and provided clarifications on all topics discussed in a very friendly atmosphere. 
 
October 10, 2024:
Delegates Tennis Tournament: Jonas Alberto Junior (Mozambique) and Platini Mendes (Angola), the finalists of the tournament, were honored. They received their trophies from the ITF President. 
 
October 11, 2024:
Key Highlights from the General Assembly
  • Adoption of the proposed new ITF Constitution.
  • Adoption of the increase in voting shares for certain Federations:
  • Royal Belgian Tennis Federation: from five (5) to seven (7).
  • Colombian Tennis Federation: from three (3) to five (5). 
  • Peruvian Tennis Federation: from one (1) to three (3).
  • Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation: from one (1) to three (3).
  • Malian Tennis Federation: upgraded from Class C to Class B at the 2025 General Assembly, effective 1 January 2026.
  • Approval of the request for fee exemption for the Sudan Lawn Tennis Association due to the civil war ongoing since April 2023. 
  • Rejection of the resolution requesting a guaranteed representative from Oceania on the ITF Board of Directors, similar to other regions.
  • Adoption of the amendment to the Tennis Rules, primarily to allow off-court coaching under specific conditions.
  • The 2025 ITF Annual General Assembly will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.