AITA washes its hands off the sponsorship issue

Friday, August 1 1997

AITA washes its hands off the sponsorship issue

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, July 31: The All India Tennis Association has informed former secretary PL Reddy that he would have to make arrangements for raising sponsorship money for the two ATP Challenger events allotted to him.

Secretary Ramesh Desai has intimated Reddy that the AITA will request the state associations to raise the required funds to conduct the tournament in case Reddy is unable to do so.

``In such a situation, you will not be paid any fees as that is the condition that the state association has intimated to both AITA and ATP,'' Desai wrote to Reddy in a letter dated July 28. Desai has also suggested dates to hold the Chennai and Ahmedabad Challengers.

Desai has asked Reddy to send his request (to run the Challengers) to the AITA through the respective state associations (Tamil Nadu and Gujarat) and has assured him of necessary co-operation from the two associations. The dates suggested by the AITA for the Chennai Challenger is September 8-14 or November 24-30 and for the Ahmedabad Challenger is November 17 to 23. The week starting from November 10 has been reserved for the Mumbai Challenger.The AITA is organising the ATF Asia Cup during that week ``in which eight nations, including our leading players, are participating,'' Desai says in his letter to Reddy.

Desai had also informed Ms Joanna Langhorne of the Challenger Services on July 21 that both the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu Tennis Associations were not interested in holding any Challengers through Reddy.

The AITA secretary has told Langhorne that the president of the Gujarat State Tennis Association, A Prasad, had informed him (Desai) that the association will be unable to hold the tournament ``if it is sanctioned in the name of Reddy.'' ``They (Tamil Nadu and Gujarat associations) would be prepared to hold the tournaments if Mr PL Reddy finds the sponsors and applies to them for holding the tournaments. This association (AITA) would, in that eventuality, approve the tournaments,'' Desai has added.

The secretary of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association K Premkumar had informed Desai of their inability to hold the event due to ``lack of sponsors.''