Tennis

Tennis gala under way for futures

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-30 08:03

Chinese fans celebrate during the opening ceremony of the 2009 China Open in Beijing. Provided to China Daily

BEIJING - It is tennis time in Beijing.

The world's top tennis players will slug it out at the China Open next month, but those who are just starting to learn the sport will also have the opportunity to swing away over the next three months.

The Beijing International Tennis Festival, which was launched on Sept 17 at the Beijing Worker's Stadium, will provide training camps, competitions and games for children and young people as the capital city makes its move to become one of the global centers of the sport.

The festival's opening program, which was called "Enjoy Life through Tennis" and was held on Sept 17-19, aimed to make people feel tennis is closely connected to their lives by integrating sport, entertainment and the basic necessities of life.

As part of the program, the festival's organizer, Beijing Oriental International Tennis Development (BOT), also set up a tennis headquarters, which will provide various services.

"It's like a hotel. You can get whatever you want relating to tennis at the headquarters," said Zhang Yaorong, director of BOT. "Wherever you live in the city, the headquarters will be available at any time."

Launched in 2006, the Beijing International Tennis Festival has been promoting the slogan that tennis should be a way to live a healthier and richer life among all people.

The 2010 gala will set up tennis tournaments for people from all walks of life, for the young and the old and for Chinese and foreigners.

BOT also began a comprehensive cooperation with the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and has drawn up series of standards and methods for tennis promotion to improve students' overall quality and enrich the tennis talent pool by expanding the game's presence at schools and universities.

China Daily

(China Daily 09/30/2010 page22)