Kolkata: ITC Limited - Foods Business today formally announced its plan to make Sunfeast Open, Kolkata as an annual feature on India's sporting calendar. As part of the plans ITC Foods will bring to Kolkata the Sunfeast Open, the biggest women's tennis event in South Asia, for the next four years i.e. till 2009.

The "Sunfeast Open 2006 Kolkata" is a Tier III WTA tournament and will be played at "Netaji Indoor Stadium" from September 18th - 24th with prize money of $170,000. The tournament is being organised by Globosport, the sports Management Company owned by Indian tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi, under the auspices of the Government of West Bengal.

Announcing the long-term plans, Mr. Ravi Naware, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Limited - Food Business said, "The tremendous success of the Sunfeast Open 2005, Kolkata was testimonial to the growing popularity of tennis in the country. The enthusiastic response from participants, audiences, corporates and media during the 2005 edition has prompted us to present this world-class tournament to Kolkatans for the next four years. We believe this sustained effort over the next four years will further fuel the growing popularity of tennis in India. This effort will also cultivate a new generation of Indian women tennis players by allowing Indian audiences to see the upcoming Indian talent compete against the best in the world in their own backyard."

The Sunfeast Open 2005 Kolkata presented high quality tennis games featuring some of the world's top-notch tennis players for Indian audiences. Further, through innovative initiatives, the tournament ensured greater involvement of kids and audiences with the tournament by allowing them to interact with international tennis icons.

Appreciating ITC Foods' efforts, Indian Tennis ace, Mr. Mahesh Bhupathi, said, "The role of corporates is critical in promoting sports and talent in the country. Thanks to the vision of the West Bengal Government and Corporates like ITC Foods, we now have a sustained platform for women's tennis in the country to reach greater heights thereby paving the way for future champions in India."

The Sunfeast Open is a new event that was added for the first time to the WTA Tour calendar in 2005. Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian tennis and home to legends of yesteryears such as Jaidip Mukerjea and Premjit Lall played host to the first edition of this coveted tournament. The tournament featured some of the world's leading players including Anastasia Myskina and Karolina Sprem as well the new generation of Indian stars led by Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi.

In addition to the famed participation, Sunfeast Open 2005 was also known for being the most innovatively marketed and promoted sporting event in the history of Indian sports. A host of pioneering initiatives including the hugely popular 'tennis on the street' game between Mahesh Bhupathi & Sania Mirza and the Sunfeast Open Players party featuring some of the leading names in international women's tennis on the ramp, contributed to this distinction. The tournament also attained a new peak in terms of audience involvement through novel initiatives like the inter-school Sunfeast Trophy Design Contest, Sunfeast tennis clinics conducted by leading players, Sunfeast Ball Boy / Ball Girl contest among several others.

Mahesh Bhupathi is hopeful that the tournament will attract even greater participation this year. "I am confident that this edition of Sunfeast Open will attract some of the leading players in the world. While it is too early to announce the names, one can be sure that India is in for a special surprise this year and we can expect one of the true giants of women's tennis to tour India for the event".

As Kolkata prepares to showcase itself once again to a massive global audience by hosting this event, all stakeholders believe that the perception of India being a one-sport country is set to change in the coming years and Sunfeast Open, Kolkata, will be a major catalyst to that change.

About Sunfeast
The Snacks Division of ITC Foods forayed into the branded biscuits segment in July 2003 with Sunfeast range of Glucose, Marie and Cream biscuits. This marked the division's foray in both the basic and value added segment. "Sunfeast", with the Brand Essence "Spread the Smile" connotes happiness, contentment, satisfaction and pleasure one would derive from great tasting and high quality biscuits. The brand positioning and imagery is reinforced by the Sun mascot conveying the emotional and gratifying aspects of the product.