Promoters Spectrum in ATP inquiry
THE governing body of the men's professional circuit, the ATP Tour, is investigating the operations of leading local tennis promoters Spectrum, according to a senior world tennis official.
Michael Duff, executive vice-president of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, told the South China Morning Post that Spectrum 'may not be acting in the best interests of professional tennis' and that an inquiry is now being carried out into the activities of the Hong Kong-based company.
'Yes, we are carrying out an investigation into their activities although I cannot go into specific detail,' said Duff.
Spectrum, who run one of the territory's top tennis events, the Salem Open, have recently been stripped of their management contract for running the Salem Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and have also relinquished their franchise for running the Hawaii Open.
The ATP Tour's move to look into Spectrum's activities had also raised fears that they could lose the Hong Kong event, which is annually staged in April.
But chief executive officer of the ATP Tour, Mark Miles said the tournament in Hong Kong would definitely go ahead under the guidance of Spectrum.
'In no way is the Hong Kong tournament in jeopardy. It will go ahead as planned,' said Miles.
Duff also said the Hong Kong tournament was not in danger. But he added: 'It is too early to say what could happen in the future. All I can say is that we are raising some issues with Spectrum and that they have not acted in the best interests of professional tennis.' The trouble apparently arose over Spectrum's wish to relinquish their ownership of the Hawaii Open in exchange for the right to own a tournament in China.
The US$313,750 Hawaii Open, like the two Salem Opens in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, is a World Series tournament. But Spectrum has not found it profitable to run this tournament and had asked the ATP Tour if they could give it up in return for the right to run an event in Guangzhou next year.
Group managing director of Spectrum, Lincoln Venancio admitted the Hawaii Open had not been a profitable tournament to run and that they had requested the ATP for a 'move' from Hawaii to China.
It is understood that in a bid to force the ATP Tour's hand, Spectrum had withheld the prizemoney, US$400,000, for September's Salem Open in Kuala Lumpur.
This tournament was held in late September and as is normal practice, the management company should lodge the prizemoney with the ATP Tour before the tournament commences.
Spectrum, however, had not done so and had apparently tried to use the prizemoney as a bargaining chip to force the ATP Tour to give them ownership of an event in China.
Venancio categorically denied that Spectrum had tried to force the ATP Tour's hand. 'That is totally untrue. In no way did we try to barter. The Hawaii and KL tournaments are un-related.
'As far as losing the KL management contract, it was a mutual decision by all parties. We were not stripped off it,' said Venancio. 'And as for the prizemoney, we were always going to pay it. Maybe there was some misunderstanding somewhere down the line.' Duff admitted that Spectrum had 'defaulted' with the Kuala Lumpur prizemoney which had forced the ATP Tour to step in and pay the prizemoney to the players in the 32-man draw out of their own pocket.
Duff also said that as far as Hawaii was concerned, it was on Spectrum's own initiative that they had taken away the Hawaii Open from them.
'They told us that they did not want to run the Hawaii Open next year. As it is in January, and as it is too soon to find someone else to run it, we have cancelled the 1995 Hawaii Open. We have put up the ownership for 1996.
'We have a principle of use it or lose it. And since Spectrum didn't want to use it, they lost it,' said Duff.
