Kosovo has become the 50th member of Tennis Europe, the regional association of the sport’s governing body the International Tennis Federation.
Tennis therefore joins the growing list of sports to formally approve Kosovo’s membership following last December’s decision of the International Olympic Committee to grant full recognition to the Kosovo Olympic Committee, in accordance with Rule 3.7 of the Olympic Charter.
A secret ballot at the Tennis Europe Annual General Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday saw the application achieve the required two-thirds majority of votes cast. Kosovo therefore becomes the first new member of Tennis Europe since Montenegro joined the association in 2006.
Tennis Europe and the Tennis Federation of Kosovo have been cooperating in recent years, with the federation receiving modest development assistance in the form of support for the Tennis 10s program, equipment and technical visits.
Kosovo’s membership will take effect from 1st January 2016, when Kosovo players will be able to compete in the European Junior Championships and other flagship Tennis Europe events for the first time.