The Hindu Business Line : Chennai Open gets sponsor support

Mr Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG-TWI South Asia , addressing a press conference in Chennai on Thursday. To his right is Mr Ramanathan Krishnan, former tennis player, and Mr V. Narayanan , President, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA). — Shaju John

Chennai , Nov. 25

A consortium of sponsors put together by the Tamil Nadu Government and the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) will support the annual ATP tennis tournament, renamed Chennai Open. The Chennai Open will be held between January 3 and 9.

Mr V. Narayanan, President, TNTA, said that the suggestion to rename the annual tournament as the Chennai Open came from the Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa. The tournament was earlier called the Tata Open and before that, the Gold Flake Open.

Mr Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG-TWI South Asia and Senior International Vice President-IMG, said that it was a real possibility that the tournament would shift to another State, because after eight years "we did not have a title sponsor."

Mr Narayanan said that quite a few States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana were interested in hosting the tournament. But TNTA and the Tamil Nadu Government were keen to keep the tournament in the city and were able to raise the sponsorship money by putting together a consortium of five platinum and six gold sponsors.

The platinum sponsors spending Rs 1 crore each are the Tamil Nadu Government, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, United India Insurance Co Ltd and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. The gold sponsors who are spending Rs 50 lakh each are the Murugappa Group, Saint Gobain, TVS Group - Sundaram Finance, Larsen & Toubro, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Steel Authority of India Ltd. There is a firm commitment from the sponsors that they will continue to support the tournament for the next five years, he said.

Ms Jayalalithaa has agreed to inaugurate the tournament, Mr Narayanan said. The $40,000-Chennai Open 2005 to will feature world number five Carlos Moya of Spain and Paradorn Srichapham of Thailand, among others.