Sport

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Sponsor Burger King has expressed satisfaction with its involvement in the Interscholastic Tennis Championship, after pumping $700,000 into this year's 15th staging of the competition, which will be held from April 29-May 2 at the Eric Bell Centre.

"We are very proud of this relationship which we have nurtured over the years with Tennis Jamaica," said Diana Blake-Bennett, marketing manager of Burger King, at yesterday's press launch at their offices at the Half-Way Tree Entertainment Complex, Hagley Park Road.

"This tournament is an excellent medium to achieve those goals as the game of tennis promotes discipline whilst enhancing health.

"We are also proud of the fact that through this tournament, as well as other similar events put on by corporate Jamaica, we have been able to send a number of students on tennis scholarships to universities and colleges abroad," she added.

"There are also great scholarship opportunities for tertiary education available through this game. However, more involvement from schools, parents and Jamaica at large is required to ensure maximum development through the sport."

More than 150 students from schools across the country, including Ocho Rios, Cross Keys, Montego Bay, Campion College, Norman Manley, Hillel Academy, St Andrew High and Jamaica College, are down to compete in this year's tournament.

They will compete in the boys' and girls' Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 categories.

Douglas Burke, technical director of Tennis Jamaica, said: "It is a great chance for students across Jamaica to represent their schools in an individual competition. We had the schools' team tournament in November last year, but this is the individual tournament and so we are expecting a lot of entries from schools throughout Jamaica and not just from the schools in the Corporate Area."

He added: "I would also like to thank Burger King for their continued support of the sport and we will certainly do our part to make this a successful tournament."