Tokyo to stage 2016 BNP Paribas World Team Cup wheelchair tennis event

The ITF announced that the 2016 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event, will be held in Tokyo, Japan. The event will be hosted by the Japan Tennis Association (JTA) at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo on 23-28 May 2016.

This is the first time that the BNP Paribas World Team Cup will be staged in Japan, and only the second occasion that the event will be held in Asia following the 2012 edition in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015, is often referred to as the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis. The initial event took place in California in 1985 involving six men’s teams. The women’s competition began the following year, with quad and junior events introduced in 1998 and 2000 respectively. Over 100 teams from around 50 countries take part in the competition each year, with regional qualifying held for the men’s and women’s events.

The Ariake Colosseum will also be the venue for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Tennis Events. It regularly stages Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties, in addition to the Japan Open ATP event.

Japan has a long tradition in wheelchair tennis, with the first wheelchair tennis programme introduced in 1984. The Japanese Tennis Association has been one of the most active federations in the development of the sport, producing several leading players including current ITF Wheelchair World Champions Shingo Kunieda and Yui Kamiji. Japan’s men’s team is a two-time winner of the World Team Cup.

Nao Kawatei, Chairman of the Japan Tennis Association (JTA) International Committee, said: "We are very pleased to host the BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Tokyo. The JTA works closely with the Japan Wheelchair Tennis Association and our Japanese players, and we are very proud to see their successful results. Japan is a long-time supporter of ITF wheelchair tennis, and the World Team Cup will provide a chance to showcase the players’ talents before the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games."

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: "The ITF is delighted that the BNP Paribas World Team Cup will be staged in Japan for the first time. Japan has a long tradition of wheelchair tennis and has produced some of the sport’s most recognisable stars. The World Team Cup is the most prestigious team competition on the ITF’s wheelchair tennis calendar, and we are pleased to see its continued growth."

BNP Paribas has been the event’s title sponsor since 2012 in a five-year agreement that runs through 2016. The company’s long-term agreement with the ITF also includes sponsorship of Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup, and the biennial Worldwide Coaches Conference and regional coaches workshops.

For further press enquiries:

ITF Communications

Tel: +44 (0)20 8392 4632

Email: communications@itftennis.com

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