Tuesday, 2 July 2013 00:00
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Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, yesterday announced its sponsorship of the 98th Colombo Championships 2013.
This being Sri Lanka’s only premier clay court tennis tournament will kick off from 6-21 July at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association. While all matches during the weekends will be from 8 a.m.-9 p.m., the weekday matches will be played from 2:30 p.m. -9 p.m.
Speaking about the partnership, Suren Goonewardene, CEO – Sri Lanka, Bharti Airtel said: “It gives us great pleasure to be associated with the SLTA playing section and the Colombo Championships for the second consecutive year. This tournament, which has been growing in popularity over the years, acknowledging the best tennis players Sri Lanka has produced – not forgetting the fact that the Colombo Championships is one of the only two ‘super’ grade ranking tennis tournaments in Sri Lanka. Tennis transcends to all age groups of the society and while we see this partnership as a wonderful opportunity to help foster talent and build them up to international standards, we hope to continue our fullest support towards the growth of tennis in Sri Lanka.”
“The Colombo Championships is the premier and most looked forward to tennis tournament in Sri Lanka, offering the highest prize money and attracting the highest number of player participation. We are happy to have Airtel supporting SLTA playing section and the tournament as the principal sponsor for this event which will no doubt help us take the event to the next level. We look forward to the partnership with Airtel and guarantee two weeks of high quality Tennis,” said Suresh Subramaniam, President, SLTA Playing Section.
The 98th edition of the Colombo Championships will feature boys’/girls’ singles and doubles events in the junior categories and men’s/women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles in the open, veterans and wheelchair categories. With the previous year recording a notable 500 plus applicants, the organizers are more than confident that this year will see a record number of participants of all age groups including top ranked players from around the country.
The 2013 version of the Colombo Championships will also feature players from India and Pakistan, thus adding more glamour to the whole event. The Championship tournament will comprise of over 25 events, of which 14 are dedicated junior events, thus guaranteeing 14 days of exciting entertainment for players and tennis enthusiasts alike. Airtel Lanka made its foray into the field of sports sponsorships in the year 2012 through its associations with Manchester United and football, rugby, tennis, golf, rowing and basketball. The company has been involved in the development of sports, as evidenced by its various sponsorships at school level, district level and islandwide. While Airtel Lanka continues to be involved beyond just a mere investment with all its sports sponsorships stakeholders, it is committed to developing local talent to international standards, thus fostering school sports to new heights as well as contributing actively towards the positive development of youth in Sri Lanka.
