London, August 08, 2014: The ITF announced today a partnership with Red Lantern Digital Media to launch social media platforms in China. On 8 August 2014, the first ITF social accounts will go live in China on Sino Weibo and Tencent WeChat, with its first objective being extensive coverage of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.
“The Youth Olympic Games provide the perfect opportunity for the ITF to complete a long-term goal of reaching the Chinese public through social media,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “We know that the Chinese people love tennis and it is great to share information about our activities with them, including our flagship competitions Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. We have chosen to launch our Chinese social media initiatives on 8 August because it marks the eight-year anniversary of the highly successful Beijing Olympic Games. We look forward to building a relationship with our Chinese audience starting with the YOG and continuing with other major ITF events and competitions. “
Following the launch of the ITF social media accounts in August, the ITF and Red Lantern will roll out accounts on the same platforms for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, with the Davis Cup launch scheduled for 25 August.
“As the largest market in Asia, we look forward to growing the visibility of both the ITF and our major competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup, as well as the ITF Junior Masters, scheduled for April, 2015,” said Kenny MacLeod, ITF Commercial Director. “We were very excited to learn that Davis Cup, in particular, has a large following in China and we look to build on that by providing unique and specialised content for the Chinese audience.”
Lewis Hannam, managing director of Red Lantern, said: “We are excited about helping the ITF engage with tennis fans in China. The ITF does great grassroots work in China, and we are looking forward to showcasing that via social channels, as well as capturing the excitement of global events such as the Davis Cup.”
Thirty-eight countries will be represented in the boys’ and girls’ Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Tennis Event comprising 32 players in singles, 16 pairs in doubles, and 32 pairs in mixed doubles. The YOG Tennis Event, for players aged 18-and-under, will take place on 17-24 August at the Tennis Academy of China on hard court. All players will contest all three events. This is the second Youth Olympic Games, following the successful 2010 edition in Singapore.
Entries are headed by the current boys’ and girls’ junior world number ones, Andrey Rublev of Russia and Ivana Jorovic of Serbia. Rublev, who won the 2014 Roland Garros junior title, is joined by fellow Russian Darya Kasatkina, the Roland Garros girls’ champion. Sun Ziyue and Xu Shilin will represent the host nation in the girls’ singles.
About the ITF:
The ITF is the world governing body of tennis and beach tennis, responsible for the rules of both sports and maintaining the integrity of tennis. The ITF is the owner and rightsholder of the two largest annual international team competitions in sport, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas and manages the Olympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IOC. The ITF’s highly regarded Tennis Development Department oversees the development of tennis worldwide and, through its Science and Technical Department, monitors both equipment and technology.
Its Officiating Department oversees the education and advancement of officials worldwide. The ITF organises over 1,000 weeks of men’s and women’s professional tournaments on the ITF Pro Circuit and manages the ITF Junior Circuit and team competitions, the ITF Beach Tennis Tour, the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the ITF Seniors Circuit. The ITF also manages the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme on behalf of the sport and is a partner in the Tennis Integrity Unit. Visit www.itftennis.com, www.twitter.com/ITF_Tennis, www.Facebook.com/InternationalTennisFederation
About Red Lantern:
Red Lantern is a leading Anglo-Chinese sports marketing agency. Its other sports clients include the Barclays Premier League, The Wimbledon Championships and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. For more details visit: www.redlanterndigitalmedia.com —- ITF
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