IWC tennis trophy pictures

Laureus World Sports Awards, Barcelona 2006

BARCELONA ENJOYS AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY WITH THE BEST PLAYERS OF THE LAST DECADES AT THE IWC TENNIS TROPHY

· Bahrami, Berasategui, Bruguera, Albert Costa, Carlos Costa, Casal, Hantuchova, Kuznetsova, Nastase, and Arantxa, Emilio and Javier Sánchez-Vicario came together for a memorable set of games
· Laureus World Sports Academy member Monica Seles shared some of her secrets with 80 children during a morning clinic
· Prince Albert of Monaco and Iñaki Urdangarín to share the court with Boris Becker and Albert Costa on Monday – reserved for Laureus guests


BARCELONA, May 21, 2006 – The public of Barcelona enjoyed many exciting moments on the first day of the IWC Tennis Trophy at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. Some of the greatest legends of tennis such as Mansour Bahrami, Ilie Nastase and Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario wowed the crowd with their skills.

The day began with a children’s clinic given by Laureus World Sports Academy Member Monica Seles on the centre court. Eighty boys and girls from tennis schools across Barcelona, aged between seven and 10 were divided into four teams to learn from this exceptional teacher. Emilio Sánchez-Vicario collaborated with Seles in the clinic that was organized by Luis Mediero, well-known for his tennis school.

At the end of this exciting activity the children were each given a prize by IWC, a model version of the Spitfire airplane, as well as an autograph from Monica Seles. On courts one and two, some members of the press were able to play against some of the greatest names of Spanish tennis: Alberto Berasategui, Albert Costa, and Javier and Emilio Sánchez-Vicario.

The Pro-exhibition games were the highlight of the day. The trio formed by Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Bahrami and Alex Corretja beat former Davis Cup team members Casal and Emilio and Javier Sánchez-Vicario, 6 - 4. This pattern was reversed in the other semi final where Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nastase, and Costa, lost to Berasategui, Sergi Bruguera and Carlos Costa, who also shared moments of glory on the Davis Cup team, in a tight game that finished 7 - 6. The final was just as exciting, with Berasategui, Bruguera and Carlos Costa coming out victorious 6 - 4.

Georges Kern, CEO IWC Schaffhausen, and Edwin Moses, Chairman of Laureus World Sport Academy, presented the winners with a trophy, and commended them for their involvement in the day’s events, while underlining their joint commitment to bettering the lives of underprivileged children all over the world through sports thanks to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

Many of Barcelona’s tennis lovers and their families gathered at the open day at the IWC Tennis Trophy to enjoy the passion and the glamour of the best players of the past few decades. The Swiss luxury watch brand IWC Schaffhausen, a founding partner of Laureus, believes it is vital that the general public is able to share in this way the excitement and the build-up to the seventh annual Laureus World Sports Awards at the Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona, on the evening of Monday, May 22.

Monday glamour at Pro-Am event

Monday’s activities will place special emphasis on the glamour side of the event as Laureus guests come to the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona to watch Pro-Am games and an exceptional Exhibition match. Kimiko Date, Laureus World Sports Academy Member Sergey Bubka and Mercedes-Benz guest Uta Baudsch will play against Seles, Lorenzo Quinn and Argentinian supermodel Valeria Mazza at 10am and then Bahrami, Slavika Ecclestone, wife of Bernie Ecclestone, and Dr. Buhlbecker will measure their strength against the formidable trio of Navratilova, Laureus World Sports Academy Member Hugo Porta and German sports presenter Monika Lierhaus. The winners of both matches will then come face to face in what is sure to be an exciting final at noon.

The final exhibition match will see two exceptional partners coming together in what is sure to be an unforgettable event. Prince Albert of Monaco will pair off with vice-chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy Boris Becker on one side of the court, while on the other Iñaki Urdangarin will unite forces with Alberto Costa. Both Prince Albert of Monaco and Iñaki Urdangarin share a passion for sports, and both have participated in Olympic Games, Prince Albert as member of the bobsleigh team and Iñaki Urdangarin, as part of the Spanish handball team, won a bronze medal in the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. With such credentials, the game will no doubt be an interesting grand finale to the IWC Tennis Trophy.