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| Ratana Techamaneewat (THA) at an NEC Tour event |
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| NEC banners at the 2005 Japan Open |
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| Quad player Sarah Hunter (CAN) playing on the NEC Tour |
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| Kaoru Yano, President, NEC Corporation |
The start of NEC’s sponsorship of wheelchair tennis was a milestone in the development of the sport. NEC's interest in wheelchair tennis began at the exhibition on the final day of the Federation Cup by NEC in Nottingham, Great Britain in 1991. The Social Contributions Office offered wheelchair tennis a grant, which was to prove instrumental in the development of wheelchair tennis and particularly the NEC Tour around the world.
NEC’s continued sponsorship allowed the formalisation of the international circuit, which became known as the NEC International Wheelchair Tennis Circuit, and subsequently the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. With a formalised structure in place, the international ranking also became official and this in turn led to the crowning of the first Wheelchair Tennis World Champions at the end of 1991.
NEC is very proud to have been a partner of the International Tennis Federation through the support of the Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the Masters since the early 1990s, as part of our social contribution programs.
Tennis can be enjoyed among people with and without disabilities; this is what makes it a most splendid sport. Sport also increases disabled people's fitness.
The ideals behind the ITF's Wheelchair Tennis Tour around the world correspond to NEC's Corporate Philosophy: to strive through businesses such as our IT-network integrated solutions and semiconductor solutions to contribute to the realization of a richer society with deepened mutual understanding between people worldwide.
When NEC started to sponsor this sport, there were only 21 tournaments in 12 countries. However, it now has about 120 events in over 30 countries. This success would not have been possible without the ITF's dedicated efforts.
Our goal is to contribute to creating better and more diverse communities worldwide through the increased popularization of wheelchair tennis in partnership with the ITF. You can rest assured that we will continuously be engaged with the ITF in achieving this goal.
Akinobu Kanasugi, President, NEC Corporation
The primary goals of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour are to:
- Provide opportunities for thousands of people with physical disabilities to compete in professionally organised tennis events.
- Offer high intensity competition and excitement for men, women, quad and junior players from recreational to professional levels.
- Give wheelchair tennis players rightful recognition as top athletes.
- Increase awareness about people with disabilities throughout the world.
- Create lifetime opportunities for athletes to enjoy and practice a sport with able-bodied and disabled opponents.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and global base of customers. NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, by integrating its technical strengths in IT and Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. For additional information, please visit the NEC website at: http://www.nec.com/