By IANS
Bangalore : Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj Thursday announced his association with an initiative to promote junior tennis talent in India.
The “Good Earth Super Series” has been jointly launched by event management firm Havas Sports and food major Avesta Good Earth.
Amritraj and the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) will associate with the programme and extend their expertise for grooming next generation tennis players.
As part of the ambitious programme, the organizers have committed Rs.15 million for the first edition of the Good Earth Super Series, a five-city six-tournament event from September to December in Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.
The final tournament, the venue for which has yet to be decided, will be held on the lines of the ATP Masters where the top eight players in each category will compete for the 2007 champion’s title.
The event will be conducted separately for boys and girls aged 10-16. Participants will have to play in at least three of the five preliminary rounds and the points collected by the top eight players will decide the finalists.
The organisers say that at least four boys and four girls who finish at the top in the final tournament will be sent abroad for intensive training.
The details of this will be worked out after talks with other stakeholders such as corporates, sponsors and tennis associations for raising the required funds, the organisers added.
This apart, all the eight finalists will be provided scholarships, tennis kits and training facilities.
The Super Series is planned as an annual event. At a later stage, coaching camps could also be held in various parts of the country, the organisers said.
Amritraj said the Super Series and other events would enable budding tennis to hone their basic skills, as also stay fit and healthy.
“The growing awareness of the game has kindled tremendous interest and love for tennis. This joint initiative will go a long way in identifying and promoting teenagers as future stars,” Amritraj told reporters here at the launch of the initiative.
Asked about his association and that of the AITA with the initiative, he said this would be in an advisory capacity to set the guidelines for the future, work out the framework for the Super Series and provide inputs for a tennis development programme for juniors.
“The Super Series reflects our brand values and demonstrates our spirit in supporting tennis,” Avesta Good Earth Foods Ltd CEO Sandip Dang said.
“Our game plan is to reinforce the basic needs of the body through nourishment and nutrition,” he added.