DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, has announced its three-year sponsorship as ‘Presenting Partner’ of the prestigious International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
Founded in 2014, IPTL brings together current champions, tennis legends and upcoming talent in a format that has never been seen before. Created to fulfil the increasing demand for top-level tennis in Asia, it is the first city-based professional tennis league in the world, played with teams in four Asian cities: Dubai, Manila, New Delhi and Singapore. For this years’ second season, the League sees the addition of the charming city of Kobe as the fifth city.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “It gives us immense pleasure to announce our three-year partnership with the International Premier Tennis League. The overwhelming response the league received last season showcases the interest of Asian tennis fans in the region and the success of this format and the partnership with IPTL reinforces our commitment to be associated with large-scale sports events and sports legends."
IPTL Founder Mahesh Bhupathi said: “Qatar Airways has an enviable portfolio of global sports events. We are delighted to have them back on board as our presenting sponsor for three years. They are an award-winning international airline with a clear vision and commitment to sports. We look forward to making this association beneficial to their customers and partners.”
The star-studded league is scheduled to take place between 2nd – 20th December 2015, and tennis lovers across the world will be able to witness their favourite Grand Slam champions and top-ranked tennis stars from the past and present battle it out in a unique league format.
This upcoming season will see the return of tennis superstars like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, while also featuring some new stalwarts in Rafael Nadal and Leander Paes.
IPTL has garnered much excitement since its first season and it continues to be popular among fans. The Indian Aces team walked away as the first ever IPTL winners in 2014, but the competition is set to be even more exciting this year with the addition of the Japan Warriors as the fifth team. The team will be led by Japanese sensation, Kei Nishikori, ranked world No. 6 along with other champions such as Leander Paes, Maria Sharapova, Daniela Hantuchova and Marat Safin.
The league will kick start in the city of Kobe on the 2nd of December and the grand finale will be witnessed by fans in Singapore on the 20th of December. The five teams – Indian Aces, Japan Warriors, Philippine Mavericks, Singapore Slammers, and UAE Royals – will lock horns with each other in a fiery battle to win the coveted IPTL Champions title along with the prize money of USD 1.5 million.
For Images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/qatarairways/albums/72157661206555126
Notes to Editors:
About Qatar Airways:
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Qatar Airways won Airline of the Year, Best Business Class Airline Seat and Best Airline in the Middle East at the 2015 Skytrax Awards. This is the third time the airline has won the accolade of Airline of the Year.
Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. The award-winning alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015 by Skytrax for the third year running. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.
Qatar Airways recently launched Oryx One, an enhanced interface for its inflight entertainment system, increasing the number of movies and TV shows on board from 950 to up to 2,000. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 and select A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the five-star airline’s on-board Wifi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest cargo carrier, serves more than 40 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally on 170 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet now includes six Airbus 330, eight Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747 freighter.
For more information, visit our homepage www.qatarairways.com or our sites on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.
About International Premier Tennis League:
The International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) is a unique team-based tennis league founded by India’s multiple Grand Slam winner, Mahesh Bhupathi. Played across 4 countries in Asia, the inaugural edition in 2014 featured 21 Grand Slam Champions and 14 current/former World Number Ones.
The second edition to be played in 2015 promises to be bigger and better, with the addition of a fifth franchise in Japan Warriors to add to the original franchises - Indian Aces, Philippine Mavericks (renamed from Manila Mavericks), Singapore Slammers and UAE Royals. It will run from 2nd to 20th December 2015 – Japan (2nd – 4th Dec), Philippines (6th – 8th Dec), India (10th – 12th Dec), Dubai (14th – 16th Dec) and Singapore (18th – 20th Dec).
The star-studded league will see the return of tennis superstars like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, while also featuring some new stalwarts in Rafael Nadal, Leander Paes, Kei Nishikori this upcoming season. The idea of getting a delightful blend of past legends, current champions and upcoming bright talent in a team-based competition is a never seen before concept in the sport of tennis, which is what adds to the X-factor of the IPTL.
The IPTL promises to ‘Break the Code’ of the game’s conventional etiquette in order to attract the traditional and new audiences to the sport. Modelled after successful international sports franchise concepts and being recognized as tennis’ newest spectacle, the IPTL combines world-class sport and entertainment in a format that keeps both spectators and global TV viewers thoroughly engaged.
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