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Tennis body axes Israeli tournament

August 5, 2014 at 11:32 am

Organizers of a major international tennis tournament due to have been held in Israel have cancelled the event, citing security concerns.

The Association of Tennis Professionals said that the inaugural Negev Israel Open tennis tournament will not be held this year.

According to a statement, the tournament – which was expected to be held between 15-21 September – has been cancelled due to “security concerns arising from the military conflict in the region”.

ATP head, Chris Kermode, said: “We regret the ATP World Tour event in Tel Aviv, Israel, will not take place this year. Sadly, we do not feel we can proceed as planned given the situation in the region”

“Ensuring the security of our players, fans and all those involved in organizing a world-class event, is our number one priority. We hope to be back in Tel Aviv next year. In the meantime, and much more importantly, we hope for a swift return to peace in the region,” he added.

Asaf Tochmeir, chairman of the Israeli Tennis Association remarked: “We regret the ATP’s decision. We at the ITA have done everything to ensure a successful ATP event takes place in Israel. We have raised sufficient funding and have taken care of all organizational requirements.”

The Negev Israel Open would have been the first ATP World Tour in Israel since 1996.