UNIQLO and ITF sign three-year agreement for title sponsorship of Wheelchair Tennis Tour
UNIQLO and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) today jointly announced that they have signed a three-year sponsorship agreement for the ITF’s major wheelchair tennis properties. The agreement sees UNIQLO become the title sponsor of the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour and Wheelchair Doubles Masters, as well as an international sponsor of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters. The partnership will start on 24 June at the BNP Paribas Open de France wheelchair tournament in Paris.
Commenting on today’s announcement, ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, said: “It is great news for wheelchair tennis that a high profile global brand like UNIQLO has become the title sponsor of the Wheelchair Tennis Tour. We have been impressed with UNIQLO’s enthusiasm, creativity and vision, and we believe that they will be an outstanding partner for both the ITF and wheelchair tennis, one of the fastest growing Paralympic sports. We welcome their involvement and look forward to working with UNIQLO over the next three years.”
Fast Retailing Chairman, President & CEO Tadashi Yanai said, “We are extremely pleased to have partnered with the International Tennis Federation as the title sponsor of the Wheelchair Tennis Tour. Shingo Kunieda, Japan’s two-time Paralympic champion and wheelchair world No. 1, six-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and Japanese No. 1 Kei Nishikori are already UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors, and we wish to use the sponsorship of the Wheelchair Tennis Tour to help increase the popularity of the sport worldwide.”
The UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour comprises over 160 tournaments in more than 40 countries, including wheelchair tennis events at all four Grand Slam tournaments. The UNIQLO Wheelchair Doubles Masters is the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis doubles event, and in 2014 will be held in Mission Viejo, California on 5–9 November. First staged in 2000, the season-ending event currently features the world’s top eight men’s pairs, top six women’s pairs and top four quad pairs.
Some Info About Wheelchair Tennis
Wheelchair tennis was founded in 1976 and quickly became one of the world’s fastest growing wheelchair sports, earning entry into the Paralympic Games in 1992. The sport became fully integrated into the ITF in 1998, making wheelchair tennis the first disabled sport to achieve such a union at international level. Through the work of the Wheelchair Tennis Development Fund, the sport continues to expand into new territories. The Wheelchair Tennis Tour originated in 1992 with 11 international tournaments, and it has grown to its current total of over 160 tournaments in more than 40 countries, offering over $1.5 million in prize money.
Some info About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells men’s, women’s and kids’ apparel. With global sales of approximately 1.14 trillion yen for the 2013 fiscal year ending August 31, 2013 (US $11.62 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2013 rate of $1 = 98.36 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world’s largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan’s leading specialty retailer. UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world’s most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a truly global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 1,300 stores in 16 markets worldwide, including Japan. With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere
Topics: Itf, Shingo Kunieda, Tennis, Tennis News, Uniqlo, Wheelchair Tennis
UNIQLO & ITF & WORLD NUMBER ONE SHINGO KUNIEDA ALL MAKE A SWEET DEAL – http://t.co/fH2UD3YOwu @UNIQLO_JP @UniqloUSA @ITF_Tennis #tennis
RT @10sBalls_com: UNIQLO & ITF & WORLD NUMBER ONE SHINGO KUNIEDA ALL MAKE A SWEET DEAL – http://t.co/fH2UD3YOwu @UNIQLO_JP @UniqloUSA @ITF_…
RT @10sBalls_com: UNIQLO & ITF & WORLD NUMBER ONE SHINGO KUNIEDA ALL MAKE A SWEET DEAL – http://t.co/fH2UD3YOwu @UNIQLO_JP @UniqloUSA @ITF_…
RT @TennisNewsOne: UNIQLO & ITF & WORLD NUMBER ONE SHINGO KUNIEDA ALL MAKE A SWEET DEAL http://t.co/XwL8d1jNfS #tennis