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French Open to help Ten Sports widen horizons
MUMBAI: While wrestling has successfully maintained visibility for Ten Sports, the Bukhatir Rehman owned broadcaster is looking to extend the depth of its programming! With this goal in mind, the channel has announced that it has acquired the exclusive cable and satellite television rights to the French Open tennis Grand Slam.
The action kicks off on 26 May at 2:30 pm. Readers are no doubt aware that ESPN Star Sports holds the rights for the other three Grand Slams. Ten Sports will have live coverage for the first 10 days while the semis and finals will be on a three hour delay.
Tennis popularity in Europe fails to help sponsors: Meanwhile a new study has found that reports of tennis in popular decline in Europe are off the mark. Sports communications specialist SPORT+MARKT conducted a study into tennis sponsorship and found that levels of interest in the sport and its top tournaments even outscore seemingly more popular sports. Despite such popularity, however, sponsors are struggling to get their message across to these people.
In France, the above mentioned tournament outscored the French national football championship in terms of interest. The study says that 49 per cent of sports-interested French were interested in Roland Garros compared to 45 per cent for Le Championnat.
The success of Spanish tennis players, such as Carlos Moya, Alex Corretja and Juan Carlos Ferrero, who will start as one of the favourites in Paris, has meant that 30 per cent of sports-interested Spanish named tennis as their favourite sport on TV, more than those naming the nationally popular sport of basketball (29 per cent). Tennis’ popularity in Spain is confirmed by the fact that it is after football the second most-watched sport on TV.
SPORT+MARKT MD Hartmut Zastrow said:”Tennis is definitely not a dead sport. The commercial problem with tennis lies not in declining levels of interest, but rather the sheer number of different sponsors and advertising forms crammed in and around the sport. The sponsors – even long-term sponsors – are in many cases struggling to obtain good results.”
This was demonstrated by the fact that only two of the top six sponsors in tennis, Perrier and BNP Paribas, raised any awareness among European tennis fans, with a number of companies not involved in main sponsorship instead being mentioned.
Wimbledon more popular than Olympics in UK: Interestingly Wimbledon has a 50 per cent higher level of interest among British tennis fans than the Olympic Games in which tennis is a competitive sport. 89 per cent of British tennis fans expressed interest in the oldest Grand Slam tournament, compared to 65 per cent in the Olympics. This level of interest stood head and shoulders above the levels of interest in the Masters Series (22 per cent) and the ATP Tour (21 per cent).
However, UK sports fans remain largely ignorant of the sponsors involved in tennis with more than half unable to name a tennis sponsor in the recent study. Adidas and soft drinks manufacturer Robinsons were the only companies to rate above 10 per cent in awareness as tennis sponsors among UK sports fans.
German have a healthy interest in Wimbledon due to past success by the likes of Graf, Becker and Stich. 31per cent of Germans interested in sport hold an interest in Wimbledon. This was much stronger than their levels of interest in the Davis Cup (23 per cent), The Masters Series (19 per cent) and the ATP Tour (17 per cent).
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
