Doha, 26 December 2007 - Qatar National Bank (QNB) and Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) signed an agreement by which QNB will be the Official Bank of the Men’s and Women’s upcoming tours of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in Doha.
The agreement was signed by H.E. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Faleh Al Thani, President of QTF and Mr. Ali Shareef Al Emadi, QNB’s Group Chief Executive Officer, at QNB headquarters in Doha.
This is the 15th consecutive year in which QNB will be the Official Sponsor of the Tennis tournament, adding further weight to the bank’s exemplary record of supporting sports in Qatar. This support is at the very heart of the bank’s strategy to place Qatar on the top of the sports-supporting countries.
H.E. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Faleh Al Thani, President of QTF, praised the generous contribution of QNB to support Qatar Exxon Mobil Tennis Open for Men, which will be held from 31 December 2007 till 5 January 2008, and Qatar Total Tennis Open for Women, which will be held from 18 till 23 February 2008.
“A pioneer bank in the region, QNB has always been very supportive of QTF’s activities in general and these two international tournaments in particular,” H.E. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani added.
Mr. Al Emadi said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to QTF on the achievements accomplished over the past fifteen years. We are proud to be associated with the Qatar Men and Women Tournaments which have become an essential part of the ATP tours. We will continue our support to this worldwide popular game through QTF”.
The players expected to participate this year include big names such as: Nikolay Davydenko, Tommy Robredo, Andy Murray, Ivan Ljubicic, Ivo karlovic.
Tennis is one of the most widely followed games in the world of sports and enjoys a huge popularity in Qatar. The two tournaments will be held at Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, which will witness the participation of the most renowned world-classified players, in addition to 120 professional referees. Moreover, the tournaments will also include a wide range of activities consisting of exhibitions, children’s painting, a cultural village and sponsors’ hospitality tents.
QNB aspires to take sports to a higher level by placing Qatar on the world map of sports through the bank’s unlimited support to the local sport activities, which will lead the country to be the destination of choice for all international sporting events.
QNB had played a key role in 2006, through its official sponsorship of the 15th Asian Games – Doha 2006, and through its continuous support of the traditional sports such as Al Hejen and Horse races, in addition to being the exclusive sponsor of the four major sports in Qatar, which include football, basketball, volleyball and handball. This outstanding support will be added to QNB’s rich repertoire of achievements while it aims to provide the community with valuable social services along with its first-class banking products and services.