Punj Lloyd Group announces Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010
- The largest ever corporate initiative to promote Squash in India
New Delhi, August 2, 2010: Punj Lloyd Group, the diversified global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) conglomerate today announced the Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 – India’s largest ever corporate initiative to develop and promote the sport of squash at the grassroot level in India. Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 will comprise a series of squash championships to be held across various age groups throughout India and will culminate in the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters and Punj Lloyd WISPA Silver Tour event.
Besides the US$ 192,500 Punj Lloyd PSA Masters for the top 32 international male players and the US$ 36,500 WISPA Silver Tour event for the top 16 international women players, Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 will include a series of promotional squash tournaments namely Punj Lloyd Defence Services Challenge for all the armed forces and their training establishments, Punj Lloyd All India Inter-School and Punj Lloyd All India Inter-University Championships as well as the Punj Lloyd Corporate-Club Challenge.
Saurav Ghoshal
Speaking on the occasion, Atul Punj, Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group, said, “The success of Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2009, convinced me that with the right support, squash could gain mass popularity, which is why Punj Lloyd will ramp up its involvement in squash to now include tournaments at School and University levels besides those for the Defence forces and Corporates. Year 2010 will be truly memorable for squash and for India, which will see a grand finale of the buildup squash tournaments with two international series – the WISPA and Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2010,” he further added.
India’s own Saurav Ghosal (World no. 26) and Dipika Pallikal (World no. 38), both of whom are sponsored by Punj Lloyd, and Jyoshna Chinnappa (World no. 28), will be the torch bearers for India at the Punj Lloyd Squash Masters.
Speaking on the occasion Saurav Ghoshal said, “With initiatives like Punj Lloyd Squash Masters, the younger generation from schools and universities will get an opportunity to play Squash at a national level. I am glad that Punj Lloyd has adopted a hands-on approach to develop the sport at grassroot levels. It is always a pleasure to play on home ground and with Punj Lloyd PSA Masters being held in Delhi this year, there is added excitement!”
The promotional tournaments will be played between the months of August and November, in an individual and team format, across New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, while the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters and Punj Lloyd WISPA Silver Tour event will be played in New Delhi between the 12th and the 19th of December 2010. The winners from each of the promotional tournaments will play in a pre-event of the PSA Masters and the WISPA in Delhi. Winners will also participate in the squash clinics of some of the leading players in the world and will get one-on-one instructions to better their game.
Each of the promotional tournaments will be organised in association with the Squash Racquets Federation of India (SRFI), the Indian governmental apex body for squash. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Srivatsan, Secretary General of the SRFI said, “Punj Lloyd’s commitment to promote Squash in India will ensure the much needed boost to the game. We commend Punj Lloyd for promoting Squash and bringing an event of international stature to India, thus exposing our young talent to the world’s best. Squash was always considered as a niche sport in India and now with its growing awareness we hope to see it as one of the most popular sports in India.
Punj Lloyd has appointed Infinity Optimal Solutions Private Limited (IOS) as the exclusive agency responsible for the overall management and promotion of Punj Lloyd’s Squash Masters 2010. Regular updates about the event will be available on www.punjlloydsquashmasters.com as well as through updates from the media centre at IOS.
