Tennis

Swing for the Stars campers off to WA

By Yu Yilei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-15 09:22

Tennis West, a tennis academy in Perth, Western Australia, will host the 2010 Mercedes-Benz Swing for the Stars International Junior Tennis Camp from today to Feb 9, co-organizers the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) and the Beijing International Group (BIG) announced yesterday.

Eight Chinese junior players selected from the Mercedes-Benz Swing for the Stars Junior Development Program plus another three from the CTA's cooperation program with the Mountain Flowers Children Foundation, head to Perth today.

The first eight participants were selected through two stages of the Swing for the Stars training and championship competition that last year included 14 provincial clinics and championships throughout China involving about 700 junior players and coaches.

Since the program's launch in 2008, more than 4,000 junior players and coaches have participated in the programs and more than 7 million junior and amateur players and coaches have visited the "Swing for the Stars" Virtual Academy at www.chinatennis.org.cn.

The other three players, funded by Mountain Flowers Children Foundation, come from ethic minorities in China. They are 10-year-old Tibetan Nima Zhuoma, 9-year-old Youmi Zhuoma of the Pumi ethnic minorty and 10-year-old Mu Shumin from the Naxi ethnic minority.

Participating players and coaches will receive high-performance tennis and fitness instructions from Tennis West's elite coaches and trainers and will also participate in tennis competitions in Western Australia as well as enjoy a full cultural program.