PARIS, September 12, 2019 (FFT Press Release)
On Wednesday 4th September, the French Tennis Federation signed cooperation agreements with the Japan Tennis Association (JTA) and the Confederação Brasileira de Tênis (CBT). Coming together in New York, the President of the FFT Bernard Giudicelli, Vice President of the JTA Toshiro Sakai and President of the CBT Rafael Westrupp affirmed their commitment to developing tennis worldwide.
The FFT and the JTA have signed a three-year cooperation agreement. This agreement extends and strengthens the relationship forged between the two federations, which began with the signing of a first agreement in 2017.
The agreement focuses on several priorities and its aim is to contribute to the healthy development of mind and body through tennis and to promote the federations’ shared values, such as helping developing countries and gender equality. At the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan will provide the French tennis teams with sparring partners.
Well aware of the benefits of this kind of collaboration, the FFT has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Brazilian Tennis Federation (CBT) to cover the next four years.
Driven by their shared ambitions, these federations want to share information about tennis, promote their common values such as ethics and environmental protection, and find further opportunities for exchange, namely with regard to training players and coaches. The agreement also covers the development and promotion of clay-court tennis in Brazil. This is based on the interest both federations have shown in the surface, interest which led Brazil to host the Roland-Garros Amateur Series – a tournament open to everyone in which participants can win a trip to Paris and tickets for Roland-Garros – and the Roland-Garros Junior Wild Card Series – a tournament for the rising stars of world tennis, whose winners are awarded a wildcard for the Junior tournament.
Within the framework of these bilateral agreements, the federations also have the opportunity to set up a trilateral cooperation agreement with a member country from the Association of French-Speaking Tennis Federations (Association des Fédérations Francophones de Tennis or A2FT), whose aim is to promote the educational, cultural and social values of tennis that all of its members share.
These cooperation agreements tie in with the FFT’s desire to increase its international influence and unite the stakeholders of world tennis to inspire them to develop the sport further.
“The environment surrounding world tennis is changing but, at the same time, as the host federations of Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, we have many things to deliver including the promotion of integrity in sport and the protection of the Olympic values, and we look forward to working together under the new enhanced MOU,” added Toshiro Sakai, Vice President of the JTA.
“It’s a great honour to sign the agreement renewal between the FFT and the CBT. We are proud to be part of a mutual cooperation that is growing year by year. We started in 2015 promoting Rendez-Vous à Roland Garros. In 2018 we launched the Roland-Garros Amateur Series, and in 2019 we will host a French coach during our annual tennis camp and meeting at CBT’s headquarters, as part of a coaching knowledge exchange. It’s exciting to be part of a deeply trusting and respectful relationship. Not only in tennis, the connection and respect that Brazilian citizens show to France and French citizens goes beyond sport,” explained the President of the CBT, Rafael Westrupp.
“It was important for the French Tennis Federation to continue its collaborations with the Japanese and Brazilian federations so as not to cut short this journey, which is based on respect, friendship and exchange. By continuing our mutual commitment, we are demonstrating our desire to capitalise on each other’s expertise and to promote our shared values. The French Tennis Federation’s Act and Win programme, which nurtures the up-and-coming generations, echoes the ambitions we have in our respective countries with regard to the development of amateur, junior and professional tennis,” added the President of the FFT, Bernard Giudicelli.
