Ballkids gain three stripes for Dubai Tennis Championships 2004 with adidas

As official sportswear supplier for the Dubai Tennis Championships 2004, top-of-the range adidas tennis sportswear will be supplied to more than 500 ballkids, linespeople, ushers, court services, organizers and promotional staff for the event.

Clark Francis Tennis has a long history with the Dubai Tennis Championships and will this year train ballkids - whose ages range from 10 to 17 - for their roles. Training sessions have been ongoing since November 2003 with the ballkids today officially graduating with adidas 'three stripes' ready for the championships.

Owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free, the Dubai Tennis Championships 2004, which features the WTA women's tournament (23rd Feb-28th Feb) and the ATP Men's week (1st -7th March) are held annually and attracts many of the world's top-ranked names in the world of tennis.

adidas-Salomon Emerging Markets Head of Marketing Mr. Walter Bruppacher said:'adidas is very pleased to support such a great sporting event for both Dubai and the world tennis calendar. It is great to see both Clark Francis Tennis and students from the UAE playing such a core role in an event which brings a world spotlight to Dubai. adidas-Salomon is committed to supporting and encouraging sporting development with the Dubai Tennis Championships being a great flagship event for tennis.'

Clark Francis said: 'CFTennis is delighted to be involved with its own sponsor adidas this year. The responsibility of being a ballkid is a huge one and each child plays an integral part in the success of the tournament as a whole. The kids not only learn how to distribute the balls without interrupting the concentration of the players but also how to operate as a team and how to manage individuals around them.All in all it is a great experience!! To quote one of last year's ball kids, it was 'the best two weeks of my life!'.