Lhuillier seeks Philta presidency for athletes’ sake

Photo by Marc Reyes

The welfare of national athletes will be at the heart of Jean Henri Lhuillier’s attempt to wrest the presidency of the Philippine Tennis Association.

The elections is slated Feb. 8 and the current Philta chair and manager of the Philippine Davis Cup team said his campaign will rest on sparing national athletes from the politics that is prevailing in the sport.

“I am very concerned with the welfare of our national players and it’s one of the major reasons I am seeking the presidency for Philta—so I could help them more by coming up with long-term plans for them,” said Lhuillier.

The Philippines is in the thick of preparation for the Feb. 3 to 5 Davis Cup hosting of Indonesia. The country is also being counted on to win golds in the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia in August.

No one else has declared his candidacy. The elections was set  last September in the presence of international tennis chief David Haggerty.

Philta chief Salvador Andrada said he is stepping down as soon as an election is called.