NEW YORK & INDIAN WELLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BNP Paribas, Europe’s leading financial institution and a global sponsor of tennis, is pleased to re-enforce its commitment to tennis at every level and announce community-driven initiatives at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open. As a long-standing supporter of the sport, BNP Paribas is dedicated to continuing to promote tennis and making a positive impact in the community.
At this year’s tournament, BNP Paribas will activate community initiatives focused on benefiting the local Coachella Valley community and support various causes such as youth development, education, and diversity and inclusion. BNP Paribas promotes the power of tennis, striving to make it accessible, to inspire and bring positive change to communities, and these initiatives reflect that commitment:
- Points for Change: Officially launched during the 2023 French Open, the "Points for Change” campaign is now active at all professional tournaments sponsored by BNP Paribas – including the BNP Paribas Open. Every point scored during these tournaments will be turned into donations to benefit local associations promoting education and inclusion through sport. This year, the proceeds from the points scored at the BNP Paribas Open will be donated to the non-profit, Girls on the Run.
- Ticket Donation: BNP Paribas will allocate a significant number of tickets to the BNP Paribas Open to local schools and nonprofit organizations so deserving groups can experience the thrill of tennis.
- #FAAPointsForChange: BNP Paribas supports Félix Auger-Aliassime (ATP World No. 29) in his commitment to building a better future for youth in the West-African nation of Togo, his father’s home country. Félix Auger-Aliassime has pledged to donate $5 for each point he wins during the tournament and BNP Paribas will match with $15 per point. The money raised will finance the EduChange initiative which is coordinated by CARE, a non-governmental organization, to improve the conditions of young people in the Kara region of Togo. The project focuses on the protection of children’s rights, access to education and sport.
- Team BNP Paribas Young Talents: This program provides human and financial support to talented young athletes on the path to professional careers. Players will be granted the opportunity to train under the direct supervision of tennis professionals and legends. The program will build on the global roster of 130 players which began in 2018 with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in France and in 2019 with John and Patrick McEnroe in the United States.
- BNP Paribas Open Scholarship Program: For the eighth consecutive year, BNP Paribas will award scholarships to four deserving high school students from the local community. The Coachella Valley students will be awarded college grants at a ceremony at their school and will be recognized during an on-court presentation at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, March 16.
- International Women’s Day: BNP Paribas and FILA will host a panel live on the Village Stage on March 8, titled "Inspiring The Next Generation," where a group of female leaders will share their insights in an empowering roundtable discussion. This collaborative effort aims to spotlight the journeys of inspirational women in sports and business.
BNP Paribas collaborates with these local organizations and schools to support and promote tennis as a sport for all. BNP Paribas recognizes the importance of accessible and inclusive sporting opportunities and aims to contribute to the growth of tennis in the local community.
José Placido, CEO of BNP Paribas USA and CIB Americas said: “BNP Paribas is excited to again showcase its commitment to tennis and community-driven initiatives. Our dedication to promoting the sport and making a positive impact in the Coachella Valley reflects our core values of inclusivity, diversity, and social responsibility. As the BNP Paribas Open continues to be the destination for fans to witness the highest levels of professional tennis, I welcome all fans to join us for an exciting two weeks of world-class competition and join us in growing the sport and its power to positively impact the community.”
The Indian Wells Tennis Garden – one of the world’s premier tennis facilities and home to the BNP Paribas Open – remains committed to building a more “sustainable Tennis Paradise,” driving change in the community and inspiring action outside of it, and lessening the tournament’s environmental impact through waste management, energy efficiency and strategic partnerships.
BNP Paribas is the title sponsor of the BNP Paribas Open since 2009 and has leveraged its commitment to the sport in the Americas to support a wide range of social inclusion and environmental activities across the tennis world.
About the BNP Paribas Open
The BNP Paribas Open is the largest combined ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tennis event in the world, and one of the premier fixtures on tour having been named Tournament of the Year by both the WTA and the ATP Tour for a record-setting nine consecutive years. The 2024 BNP Paribas Open will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 3 – 17, 2024.
BNP Paribas Championing Tomorrow’s Tennis for 50 years
For over 50 years, our history and actions have demonstrated how tennis has the capacity to mobilize people beyond the sport and have a social impact, especially for younger generations. We believe that tennis is bigger when it is inclusive and focused on youth. That is why, on 50th anniversary of our loyalty to the sport and commitment to its social impact since inception, we will highlight how tennis has the power to inspire players and fans for the good of society and its youth.
About BNP Paribas & Tennis
BNP Paribas is one of the major worldwide partners to tennis, with an unrivalled commitment to sport, going back to 1973. The Group’s support covers all levels and dimensions of the game all over the world, including singles, doubles, team tennis, wheelchair tennis and family tennis, ranging from beginners’ training to top professional tournaments:
- Professional Tennis: Official sponsor of the French Open at Roland-Garros; title sponsor of three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments – the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italian Open) in Rome; partner to the Open 13 (Marseille), the Open Parc de Lyon Open, the Metz Moselle Open, BNP Paribas Nordics Open (Stockholm), Queens Championships
- Wheelchair Tennis: BNP Paribas World Team Cup; French Riviera Open; WJP Challenge Tennis, Swiss Open Genève
- Junior & University Tennis and Academies: Master’U BNP Paribas
- Amateur Tennis: Sponsors of the BNP Paribas Family Trophy; also supporting over 1,000 amateur tournaments around the world
- The younger generations: BNP Paribas supports over 130 deserving young tennis and wheelchair tennis players, through its 'Team BNP Paribas Young Talents' programs in France (with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the French Tennis Federation), the United States (with John and Patrick McEnroe), Italy, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Japan and Canada; also partner of the Roland-Garros ball-kids selections for over 20 years. Further in the United States, bringing free tennis lessons to thousand of children between ages 6 and 16 across New York City’s five boroughs as presenting sponsor of CityParks Tennis
- Solidarity Tennis: Supporting a number of original tennis related social engagement projects, through partnerships with more than 20 national tennis federations and dozens of tennis-based charity organisations: ‘#FAAPointsForChange‘ with Felix Auger-Aliassime; ‘Fête le Mur’ with Yannick Noah; the ‘Aces Du Cœur‘ charity program for hospitalized children; the Israel Wheelchair Tennis Project
- Tennis e-sport: ‘Roland-Garros e-Series by BNP Paribas’, an e-sport tournament played all over the world as part of the ‘Tennis World Tour’ video game
- Employee tennis: the ‘BNP Paribas We Are Tennis Cup’ is one of the largest global employee tennis tournaments in the world (3,500 participants each year)
Having entered into all these partnerships, in 2011 BNP Paribas set up a program called ‘We Are Tennis’, with the purpose to promote interest in the game of tennis all over the world. The wearetennis.com website and its social network accounts bring together a community of tennis lovers and dedicated fans from all continents who are keen to obtain the latest news from the ATP, WTA and ITF circuits. Furthermore, in 2015 BNP Paribas created the ‘We Are Tennis Fan Academy’, which enables fans to express their passion for tennis as never before.
About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 65 countries and has nearly 185,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialized businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realize their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.