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Tennis Europe Regional Meeting and ITF AGM A Tennis Europe Regional Meeting was held at the recent International Tennis Federation Annual General Meeting, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 21-24 September. Hosted by Tennis Europe President Jacques Dupré, the meeting was addressed by ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, with ITF Executive VicePresident Juan Margets also in attendance. In all, 30 Tennis Europe member nations were represented at the meeting, which mainly focused on presentations of the European candidates standing for the ITF Board of Directors elections. The subsequent elections saw Mr. Ricci Bitti reelected for a fourth term, which runs from 2011 to 2015. Six Europeans – Jean Gachassin (FRA), Juan Margets (ESP), Roman Murashkovsky (RUS), Stuart Smith (GBR), René Stammbach (SUI) and Georg von Waldenfels (GER) – will feature on the new Board of Directors, alongside Ismail El Shafei (EGY),
Lucy Garvin (USA), Jack Graham (CAN), Chris Kypriotis (BRA), Suwat Liptapanlop (THA), Geoff Pollard (AUS) and Jon Vegosen (USA). Also at the AGM, changes to ITF membership status saw an increase in Class B shares for Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Amongst the Europeans recognised with Services to the Game Awards were Toni Nadal (ESP), nominated by the ITF Coaches’ Commission, and Ogtay Asadov (AZE), Volodymyr Bogdanov (UKR), Stig Ericson (SWE), Anne Kremer (LUX), Leila Meskhi (GEO), Rauza Islanova (RUS) and Per Wright (NOR). Tennis Europe’s Board of Management also took the opportunity to formally meet during the AGM, with a next meeting scheduled for Paris in November. Next year’s ITF AGM will be hosted by the Danish Tennis Federation in Copenhagen.
2012 Tennis Europe Annual General Meeting The Board of Management has confirmed that the 2012 Tennis Europe Annual General Meeting will be hosted by the French Tennis Federation in the city of Lyon, from 22-25 March.
A circular containing further information about the meeting will be provided to member nations in due course.
Todor Todorov Tennis Europe is greatly saddened to report the death of Dr. Todor Todorov, who passed away on October 12th. Having dedicated his life to tennis, Dr. Todorov’s contribution to the game in his native Bulgaria was immeasurable.
level. In 2003, his achievements were recognised with the Tennis Europe Award for Services to the Game. A noted author, Dr. Todorov wrote extensively about tennis, publishing books about the sport in general and focusing on Bulgaria.
He served on Tennis Europe’s Junior Committee for almost three decades (1981-2008) and was greatly involved with the development of the sport at junior
Dr. Todorov maintained an active role until very recently, and will be greatly missed by the entire European tennis family.
Walter Spiess Walter Spiess, one of the founding figures of Seniors Tennis in Europe, passed away on October 2nd. Cochairman of the first Tennis Europe Seniors Committee when it was established in 1976, Mr. Spiess continued in the role until 1993 and left a lasting legacy for seniors tennis in his native Austria.
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Issue 95 > October 2011
A founder of Tennis Europe’s biggest seniors tournament, the European Indoor Seniors Championships in Seefeld, he was also a keen player, representing his country for many years in senior competitions. He was presented with the Tennis Europe Award in recognition of his life’s work in 1999.