Industry Shorts: Atp, The Athletic, UFC
The ATP has announced the cancellation of the Citi Open, an ATP 500 event in Washington DC won by Nick Kyrgios (pictured above) in 2019.
The event, which was scheduled to begin on 13th August, was set to be the first event of the ATP Tour restart, following the suspension of play in March.
Organisers have said that, due to uncertainties around its ability to meet ‘key event planning deadlines’, a decision has been made to cancel the event.
The ATP says it is continuing to work closely with the US Tennis Association (USTA) on the Western & Southern Open, as well as the US Open – all of which are scheduled to take place back-to-back in New York, beginning on 20th August.
The Athletic has announced Aki Mandhar as its new General Manager, UK Operations.
She joins The Athletic from her previous role as COO, The Telegraph, where she was responsible for subscriptions, circulation and partnerships.
Linking up with The Athletic just before the one-year anniversary of its UK launch, she will be responsible for the day-to-day management of its UK operation and lead the effort to grow its international business via commercial, new business and marketing initiatives.
Online fashion retailer BoohooMAN became an Official Sponsor of UFC Fight Island in July, with the brand first featuring at the UFC 251: Usman v Masvidal fight.
The partnership between the pair will cover the four events scheduled to take place on the Fight Island – Yas Island in Abu Dhabi
Table Tennis England and the British Esports Association have announced a new partnership which will seek to promote the importance of mental wellbeing and exercise.
The pair say both activities have been proven to improve behaviour, concentration and attendance levels in schools, while also having benefits for those who have dementia or Parkinson’s.
The campaign will utilise top stars in the fields of table tennis and esports to talk about their mental health experiences and struggles to help reduce the stigma surrounding it, as well as Olympic table tennis players’ thoughts on gaming as a stress-relieving activity.
GB Wheelchair Rugby has announced the appointment of four new board members who will take up their posts following the organisation’s AGM in September.
Former sprinter and Commonwealth Games medallist Paula Dunn who has been Para Athletics Head Coach for Great Britain since 2012; Paralympics Corporate lead at Channel 4 Kate Clayton; Chief Financial Officer, Commonwealth Games England, Chris Conway; and European Brand Amplification Lead, IBM, Sam Seddon will all take up roles on the board of the National Governing Body for the game of wheelchair rugby in England, Scotland and Wales.
Outdoors brand The North Face has called on a host of its athlete talent to launch its Summer Base Camp initiative – an online educational project aimed at equipping campers of all ages with ‘valuable knowledge’ they can use for getting back to adventuring.
A series of athlete-led classes will see participants schooled in topics such as adventure photography, survival skills, backyard basecamp building and even snack making from the likes of professional climber and Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin; professional rock climber, Nina Williams; ultra-runner, Coree Woltering; and ski mountaineer, Hilaree Nelson.
