Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), was unanimously elected today as the President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) at its General Assembly in Quebec City, Canada.
Ricci Bitti will take over from Denis Oswald, President of the World Rowing Federation, on 1 January 2013 and become only the third President of the organisation in its nearly 30-year history.
Ricci Bitti said: “It is a great honour for me to be elected to this important role by my colleagues from the International Federations and I will focus on strengthening their position and influence by harnessing the massive experience and expertise, which our members collectively hold, for the benefit of all. The next few years will see major changes in world sport and I aim to ensure that ASOIF and the International Federations are at the forefront of the decision making process.”
“We at the ITF have worked hard to make the Olympic Tennis Event one of the most aspirational and influential events in our sport and in the Olympic Games,” added Ricci Bitti. “The honour to be elected ASOIF President is one that I share with the ITF family, including our 210 member nations, and I hope that they will take this election as a compliment for our sport from the members of ASOIF.”
ASOIF, founded in 1983, is made up of the 28 International Federations on the programme of the Summer Olympic Games and protects their common interests on all issues in international sport, particularly representing the International Federations within the Olympic and global sports movement.
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