Mumbai : Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) has signed Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar as the Presenting Sponsor for the inaugural edition of the event. The alliance with the Tennis League reiterates the airline’s strong commitment towards sponsoring key sporting events worldwide.
Mahesh Bhupathi on behalf of IPTL said, “Qatar Airways’ legacy as a committed sponsor of global sports events is well known. We’re glad to partner with an award winning airline like them as Presenting Sponsor and look forward to enjoying a long and fruitful association during and after the IPTL season.”
The Coca-Cola IPTL is the first of its kind initiative in tennis to encourage a competitive franchise based competition. The League will travel to the cities of Manila, Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai featuring current and former ATP and WTA players in its inaugural season from 28 November until 13 December 2014.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “We are extremely excited about our partnership with the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League. At Qatar Airways, we have a long-standing history of associations with large-scale sporting events which allows us to connect with sporting fans and legendary sportsmen across the globe through our widespread global route network. Qatar Airways’ association with this event will further promote the game among the increasing fan base of tennis enthusiasts across the world.”
The strategic partnership will play a key role in connecting teams and sports fans from across the world to four countries in Asia to witness the much-awaited event. In its capacity as the Presenting Sponsor, Qatar Airways will be undertaking a series of on-ground activations to engage with tennis fans across the globe.
Starting from the Philippines, the Tennis League will travel to Singapore and India before culminating in Dubai. In its inaugural season, the championship will feature renowned players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and others playing for four tournament franchises – Manila Mavericks, DBS Singapore Slammers, Micromax Indian Aces and the UAE Royals, that have been sponsored by corporates and leading sports legends.
Qatar Airways’ portfolio includes some of the highest profile sport associations including FC Barcelona, Al-Ahli Football Club, Qatar Open Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, and the World Men’s Handball Championship among others.
Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 142 aircraft to 145 key business and leisure destinations across the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Africa, North America and South America.
