Airtel Lanka aces 100th National Tennis Championships

Bharti Airtel Lanka Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director  Jinesh Hegde (fourth from left) and SLTA President Iqbal Bin Issack with world renowned tennis player Sania Mirza and others at the press conference

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced its sponsorship of the 100th Tennis National Championships. 

This is the world’s third largest mobile operator’s second involvement with a major local tennis event for this year, having sponsored last month’s Colombo Championships.

The 2015 National Championships kicks off with junior events running from 7-23 August, after which the Open and Wheelchair Tennis events will be worked off from 14-23 August. The championships will be held at the SLTA courts in Green Path.

“Having sponsored this event for the fourth consecutive year, it is indeed a great honour to be a part of the centenary celebrations of this tournament as it creates a milestone in the history of tennis in Sri Lanka,” said Bharti Airtel Lanka Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director Jinesh Hegde. 

“Airtel prides itself on being a lively, inclusive and respectful organisation. The benefits of tennis are similarly inclusive in nature in that it can be played by people of any age or competency. The fact that we have been sponsoring this event on a long-term basis endorses our commitment towards the sport, the youth and the country as a whole. 

“Airtel is all about creating opportunities and we understand the value of creating such opportunities as it helps foster talent and build them up to international standards - paving the road towards the success of Sri Lankan Tennis,” he further added.

“Bharti Airtel’s decision to support a second event is obviously good news for Sri Lanka tennis. The company sponsored the Colombo Championships last month and is now extending its support to the Nationals. The Nationals are singly the country’s most prestigious tennis event, and to have a high-profile corporate entity as sponsor will no doubt give the 100-year championship added value. Many players have started their tennis careers with good results in this tournament. I am sure that this year will be no different,” said SLTA President Iqbal Bin Issack. 

“It is wonderful that Bharti Airtel Lanka’s sponsorship covers a number of years – just the sort of long-term commitment the SLTA requires from sponsors so as to help raise the level of the country’s tennis in our 100th year.”

According to Tournament Director Udith Wickremasinghe, Bharti Airtel’s sponsorship has already had a healthy impact on the national championships. “Because of Airtel’s generous sponsorship we were able to keep the entry fees low during the sponsorship period, which has resulted in a steady increase in the number of entries during the last three years. This being the 100th Nationals I expect that the number of players participating in the tournament will be a record number,” he said.

Entries for the Nationals close on 6 August and the draw is scheduled for 11 August. Organisers expect over 150 entries for Nationals, which feature Singles and Doubles events for men and women and Mixed Doubles. The Junior Nationals will feature boys and girls singles and doubles from the age groups of 10 to 18. Over 800 entries are expected for the Junior Nationals as this is the most popular tournament among the Junior players.

The official ball for the tournament will be Dunlop Elite. Airtel Lanka made its foray into the field of sports sponsorships 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.