Airtel Lanka sponsors 99th Colombo Championships

Friday, 4 July 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced its sponsorship of the 99th Colombo Championships. This being Sri Lanka’s only premier clay court, the tennis tournament will take place from the 5 to 20 July at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association. Speaking about the partnership, Bharti Airtel CEO – Sri Lanka CEO Suren Goonewardene said: “It gives us great pleasure to be associated with the SLTA playing section and the Colombo Championships for the third 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 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 SLTA Playing Section President Asoka Abeywardena. The 99th 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. The Previous year recorded a notable 500 plus applicants, and this year over 650 have entered the event already, which is a record high number at this event and it includes participants of all age groups including top ranked players from around the country. The 2014 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, cricket and basketball. The company has been involved in the development of sports, as evidenced by its various sponsorships at school, district and national levels. 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.