ITF

COSTA RICA Through Federacion Costarricense de Tennis, Costa Rica has a very solid and stable administration; president Carlos Bravo is an ITF board and COTECC member and Patricia Castro has managed national association projects for many years. Patricia's approach is very professional, she has the support of the federation's board and there is a good structure in Costa Rica which has developed credibility throughout the county. Their JTI started in a small way but with credibility built, they have since joined forces with PANI (Patronato Nacional para la Infancia), a not-for-profit organisation which works for the benefit of children throughout Costa Rica. As a result, children are being introduced to tennis more and more and the sport is growing. This alliance has also brought new deliverers, while the physical education coaches, who work with these children and have been trained through ITF Play Tennis courses, contribute to the growth of tennis with passion and professionalism. Another positive is that the Costa Rican government is keen to decentralise and develop sports throughout the country and not just in the capital city. One aspect of this is the government arranging national games; in each city where the junior national games are held, at least one tennis court is built. The quality of coaching is also very high in Costa Rica – higher than most countries in Central America – which means good quality programmes are delivered throughout the nation. As previously mentioned, ITF World Tennis Number, which will establish a single global tennis rating for players of all ages, genders and abilities, offers huge potential for growing the number of recreational players. Costa Rica is set to become the first nation in the region to launch the new digital platform, which is very exciting. " ITF World Spring 2021 37 " " CUBA A very unique place, not only in this region but also the world. There is no private investment and Cuba relies on government funding for everything. As a result, the ITF's support has been instrumental. Sport is evident in each of Cuba's provinces and the equipment which the ITF provides through the JTI is valued enormously by Federacion Cubana de Tenis de Campo. A few years ago, Cuba was one of the region's only gold standard nations in the ITF's Recognition of Coach Education Systems programme, but due to its economic and political situation, many of these coaches have left to work elsewhere. The process of certifying has started again, albeit at a lower level, and to see this is really satisfying. That said, there are ongoing difficulties with developing tennis within Cuba. In the past there was always strong high- performance activity, but due to a lack of funding Cuba's players struggle to play outside of their nation and there are hurdles to bringing competitions to the island. In addition, due to Covid and political issues, support through the much-acclaimed Kids on the Ball initiative – founded by Jake Agna – which has invested more than $600,000 to repair tennis courts in Cuba, has ceased. However, despite so many difficulties, the work and passion of Federacion Cubana de Tenis de Campo to maintain tennis within Cuba is highly commendable. I am a big fan of their spirit and resilience. There are struggles in continuing tennis on the island and others would have given up long ago. " DEVELOPMENT

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