Michael Chang, the one-time Hong Kong tennis heart-throb, and former world number ones Stefan Edberg and Marat Safin will play at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic in January, thanks to the government's cash injection from the Mega Events Fund (MEF).
For the first time since the post-Sars tournament, the annual extravaganza at Victoria Park, from January 6 to 9, will feature men alongside some of the biggest names in the women's game, including Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Organisers thanked the Hong Kong Tourism Commission's MEF for the transformation, saying the huge helping hand had allowed them to add an extra dimension next year. 'We had already signed the major female players, but it was only after we got the backing from the Mega Events Fund that we were able to go after the men and add an extra dimension to the tournament,' Terry Catton, tournament director of the Hong Kong Tennis Classic, said.
The tournament lost its title sponsor this year after JB Group, which came on board in 2008, pulled out of next year's event. It left the organisers, Hong Kong Tennis Patrons Association, looking for a backer.
They found it hard to find sponsors with sufficient funding because of the recession, and so applied to the government's HK$100 million MEF. Organisers have refused to say how much they had received, but it is understood that they asked for HK$5.5 million.
'We would have gone ahead, with or without the money from the Mega Events Fund. But this is the icing on the cake,' Ian Wade, president of the association, said. 'We must thank the visionary Hong Kong Government. They are criticised often, but their help will allow us to add another sparkling element.'