Doha, Qatar: On the sidelines of the ITTF Summit and Annual General Meeting in Doha, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), met with Francesco Ricci Bitti, Honorary Life President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and former President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) for a strategic discussion on sport governance and international tennis development.
The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the evolving landscape of international sport governance, particularly in the context of the ASOIF governance framework. Ricci Bitti, who has played a central role in shaping and advancing these standards globally, shared his experience leading governance reform across Olympic federations. The discussion reflected Qatar’s efforts to align its national sporting bodies with internationally recognised principles of integrity, transparency, and autonomy.
Sheikh Joaan underlined the importance of strong, credible governance structures as the foundation for the sustainability and legitimacy of sport organisations. He also emphasised the QOC’s commitment to ongoing institutional development and its readiness to contribute to wider global efforts to strengthen governance at all levels of the sport ecosystem.
The meeting also addressed the future of international tennis. As Honorary President of the ITF, Ricci Bitti remains closely engaged with the sport’s global development. The conversation touched on pathways for growth, including in emerging markets, and the role of national and regional institutions in supporting both elite performance and broader participation. Sheikh Joaan reaffirmed Qatar’s long-term engagement with tennis, both through its professional events and its support for youth development and regional cooperation.
Ricci Bitti will be formally named an Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee on June 24 in recognition of his decades of service to the Olympic Movement. Sheikh Joaan extended his congratulations, acknowledging Ricci Bitti’s enduring influence on the evolution of international sport and his contributions to institutional excellence.
