VANCOUVER, Feb. 9, 2012 /CNW/ - On behalf of the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), Wai Young, Member of Parliament (Vancouver South), today announced Government of Canada funding for Tennis Canada in support of the first round of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group First Round Matches.
"The Government of Canada is pleased to support this prestigious international event featuring a Canada versus France match," said Minister of State Gosal. "Once again, Canadian interest in tennis is on the rise due to the performance of our top athletes, and I look forward to following them on the road to London 2012."
"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I welcome all athletes and fans to Vancouver," said Ms. Young. "I would also like to thank and congratulate the organizers and many volunteers for their hard work and dedication in preparation for this prestigious competition."
"We are extremely grateful to the Government of Canada for providing us with this generous funding to assist with the hosting of our upcoming Davis Cup tie versus France," said Michael S. Downey, President and CEO, Tennis Canada. "With their contribution, we will be able to hold a world-class event that will showcase Canadian tennis on the international stage like never before."
The Davis Cup men's tennis event is the largest annual international team competition in men's tennis, with 130 nations entering in 2011. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format.
The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. A contribution of $50,000 was provided to Tennis Canada through Sport Canada's Hosting Program for this event, and Sport Canada's Sport Support Program is providing $824,000 to Tennis Canada for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.
(media only):
Jenny Van Alstyne
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Bal Gosal, P.C., M.P.
Minister of State (Sport)
819-934-1122
[email protected]
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
[email protected]
(This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Newsroom.)
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