BMW GROUP MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF THE UPCOMING MALAYSIAN OPEN 2011
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 11th 2011 – BMW Group Malaysia today announced its title sponsorship of the 2nd Malaysian Open, a leg of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour – the world’s leading professional sport for women.
The BMW Malaysian Open 2011 is set to serve up the action to Malaysian audiences from 28th February to 6th March 2011 at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort. The tournament will see 32 single players and 16 doubles teams’ competing in a knockout style competition over the course of the seven day tournament for the prize purse of USD 220,000.00.
Announcing BMW Group Malaysia's partnership with the prestigious tennis event, Mr. Geoffrey Briscoe, Managing Director of BMW Malaysia said, "BMW is proud to be the title sponsor of the 2011 Malaysian Open, a tennis competition held here in Malaysia which is truly world class. We understand that tennis is a popular sport worldwide and we are committed to increasing the awareness and passion for the game here in Malaysia."
Briscoe added that the BMW Group‟s involvement in the tournament echoes the organisation's devotion to sporting brilliance which is displayed in its dedication to building trust through continuity, credibility, competence, skill and sophistication in the sporting arena.
“Authenticity is an important trait for us at the BMW Group and in any initiative that we support, our involvement is relevant and real from the „grassroot to pinnacle‟ level and this approach is shared across all sports initiatives the BMW Group is involved in – Golf, Motorsports, Sailing and more recently our support for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, UK where we are the games‟ Official Automotive partner. Our support for the WTA tournament is a perfect example of this as we are no strangers to the sport of tennis. We have had a long standing involvement in the sport worldwide with the BMW Open held in Munich, Germany as our largest presence in the sport. Now, we extend this presence with the BMW Malaysian Open which is set to become another premiere sporting event in the country” said Briscoe.
Sharing Briscoe’s sentiments on the prestigious tennis tournament, YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Razak Latiff, the President of the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia said, "This year, the game of tennis will have a bigger impact on upcoming and impressionable tennis enthusiasts as we expect the BMW Malaysian Open to be twice the phenomenon it was last year. Additionally, having BMW onboard as title sponsor has elevated the status of this event, bringing us more recognition as we align ourselves with more and more corporations and multinationals."
Also present at the announcement was Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister, YB Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek who said, "My vision in making Malaysia a regional sporting hub is quickly becoming a reality. The hard work that the LTAM, the organizers and the WTA put in last year has put Malaysia on the global tennis forefront. Malaysian's, especially Malaysian women, should now not see the game of tennis as a game for the privileged but as a platform to stand amongst giants."
YB Dato’ Ahmad Shabery added that there was no better way to catapult the Malaysian leg of the WTA tour to a global audience than by having BMW in the title sponsor seat. He also emphasized that he hoped that in time to come, another Nicole David would prevail to champion Malaysia in the field of tennis.
The inaugural Malaysian Open tournament last year which was also held amidst the plush green setting of Bukit Kiara, was a big success with some of the WTA TOUR’s top players competing in Malaysia. In the end, it was Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova who overcame the top seeded Elena Dementieva in the final to become the inaugural champion of the Malaysian Open.
This year, the tournament will once again invite professionals from the WTA TOUR specifically those in the top 20 of the world ranking to compete for the much coveted prize. The LTAM will also have the privilege of nominating two players from Malaysia as wild card entries for the competition.
Carbon Media Management Sdn Bhd, event promoter and rights holder of the BMW Malaysia Open 2011, hopes to put on quite the show for spectators and fans this year. Keld Kristiansen, Executive Chairman of Carbon Media Management Sdn Bhd said, "This year we're focused on delivering another exciting addition of the newly named BMW Malaysian Open which will include a lineup of some of the best female tennis players in the world. I am equally excited to have BMW onboard as Title Sponsors as the partnership will give the event the much profile it deserves."
By incorporating activities with BMW off the court, Carbon hopes to draw in more than just tennis fans but car and motor enthusiasts alike. “We will see to it that fans receive the best possible experience both on and off the court. Last year, we noticed that the fans would come in after work to relax and enjoy the tennis, so keeping in line with that we decided to push the matches to start at 7pm to ensure those fans and spectators would not miss any of the action.” said Kristiansen.
The BMW Malaysian Open 2011 runs from 28th February to 6th March 2011 at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort. The tournament is promoted and organized by Carbon Media Management Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malaysia and Sanctioned by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM).