Tennis Jamaica looks to 2016 Games

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Tennis Jamaica has set its sights on qualifying players for the 2016 Olympics to be staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and will be serving off the first in a number of initiatives geared at preparing local players to compete at the highest level between August 9-14 when the inaugural Hi-Pro Ace Supercentre Tennis Open will be staged at the Liguanea Club.

There will be over $1 million in prize money on offer with the men's champion set to walk away with $500,000, while the female champion will pocket $100,000. The men's draw will feature 64 competitors, while the female draw will comprise 16 participants who are set to do battle in a knockout format.

Tennis Jamaica's president, Aubyn Hill, explained the association's vision while speaking at the press launch held at the Liguanea Club yesterday.

"Tennis is an international game played by locals, and so in order to get ourselves and our players sharp enough we want as good a competition as we can get ... and make sure we understand what the level of the international sports is and where we have to go," Hill said. "Then we can see the quality and rise towards it.

Outstanding talents

He added: "We will also find that we have outstanding talents in the Tennis Jamaica community, whether locally or overseas in the diaspora, that we might not have identified and this gives us a chance to identify, pull out these people and get them ready for the 2016 Olympics."

President and CEO of Jamaica Broilers Group Limited, Christopher Levy, outlined why his company decided to get on board as title sponsors of the event to the tune of $2 million.

"I think it is a wonderful opportunity to bring tennis to the forefront of our social fabric," Levy said. "It is a wonderful sport, it is recognised worldwide and I think that the potential in Jamaica is tremendous for it," he added.

The event has also received the backing of Reggae Jammin, Television Jamaica, National Commercial Bank, WATA and The Gleaner.

Apart from tennis of the highest class on offer locally, the organisers are also promising a holistic family event.

"We are going to have live steel band music; people walking on stilts, other entertainment, good recorded music and of course food," Hill shared. "So the whole thing goes together where you can come and in a few hours have a wonderful get-together with your family and friends away from home at a wonderful tennis event where you get very exciting and exhilarating tennis matches," he added.

CAPTION: From left: Tennis Jamaica President Aubyn Hill, Tennis Jamaica member Kadija Richards, Ace Supercentre store Operations Manager Tricia Jackson, junior tennis player Daniel Harris, President and CEO of Jamaica Broilers Group Limited Christopher Levy and junior tennis player Shantel Blackwood at yesterday's launch of the Hi-Pro Ace Supercentre Tennis Open held at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston. The Open is set for August 9-14. - Gladstoene Taylor, Photographer