Francesco Ricci Bitti

Francesco Ricci Bitti was an Italian company sports manager and former tennis player. Ricci Bitti was a member of the Italian National Junior tennis team (1960) and won the Italian University tennis championships three times (1962, 1964-65). He played international tennis from 1964 to 1971.

After graduating in electronical engineering from the University of Bologna, he worked for over 30 years in information, technology, and communication companies, reaching executive positions with important firms such as Philips, Olivetti, Alcatel, and Telecom Italia.

In his career in sports administration, Ricci Bitti served as president of the Italian Tennis Federation from 1997-99, was a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency from 2001, and a member of the Executive Board of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) from 2006-2012. From 1999-2015 he served as President of the International Tennis Federation. On 19 December 2016 he was awarded by CONI with the Collare d’Oro al merito sportivo, the highest honor for an Italian sportsman.