UNVEILING THE GRACEFUL GRIT OF WOMEN’S TENNIS
Exhibition in conjunction with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global opens on Sunday, 23 October 2016 @ the Changing Gallery, Singapore Sports Museum
23 October 2016, Singapore – The Singapore Sports Hub today unveils ‘Graceful Grit: Tennis and the WTA Finals in Singapore’ (Graceful Grit), an exhibition celebrating the evolution of tennis and its journey to the Singapore Sports Hub, the home of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, in conjunction with the season ending tournament between the top eight female tennis players in the world.
Graceful Grit provides a snapshot of how the sport of tennis is inextricably linked to changes in society and highlights some of the game-changing women in the sport and their contributions, such as Billie Jean King who founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973. It also trains the spotlight on oft-overlooked elements that make the sport unique and beloved of millions of recreational players worldwide. These include the role of ball-boys, umpires, volunteers, and other behind-the-scenes moments that come together to create the stage for every game, set and match in tennis.
The exhibition’s curated selection of artefacts and tennis memorabilia includes items from the first Singapore edition of the tournament that was held in 2014.
On display are, among others, vintage items such as a wooden tennis racket from the 1970’s that has been autographed by former world no. 1 and past WTA President, Chris Evert and the now-broken and bent racket that was smashed by current world no. 2 Serena Williams during the semi-finals of the 2014 WTA Finals.
Other items on display include a team shirt signed by all the volunteers and which signify the over-3,000 hours that went into organising the very first edition of the WTA Finals in Singapore in 2014, a giclée print lithograph of a tennis outfit from the 1910’s as well as female tennis players’ outfits from the early 1900’s through to modern times in a series that traces the evolution of women’s tennis fashion from the early 20th century.
The ‘Graceful Grit: Tennis and the WTA Finals in Singapore’ exhibition – a first at the Singapore Sports Museum to be held in conjunction with an event at the Singapore Sports Hub – is located at the Changing Gallery of the Singapore Sports Museum and will run from 23 October 2016 to 8 January 2017.
The Singapore Sports Museum is open daily from 10am to 8pm on weekdays, and 9pm on weekends, eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays. Admission is free for all Singapore citizens and permanent residents. Full admission details can be found here: http://www.sportshub.com.sg/venues/Pages/singapore-sportsmuseum.aspx
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Select images of the exhibition: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fshv1jdqu46qnka/AADayBK4J8njpuPiVi0q5-uza?dl=0
For Media queries, please contact:
| Ms Shorbani Roy Email: [email protected] Mobile: +65 9794 2401 |
Ms Victoria Tan Email: [email protected] Mobile: +65 8228 9406 |
Ms Simha Jastol Email: [email protected] Mobile: +65 9108 9960 |
ABOUT SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB
The Singapore Sports Hub is Singapore's premier sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub with integrated community programming.
Consisting of a unique cluster development of integrated world-class sports facilities within the city, it plays a critical role in accelerating the development of sports industry, excellence and participation, and will take sports to the next level in Singapore.
Located on a 35-hectare site in Kallang, the Singapore Sports Hub will include the following facilities:
- A new 55,000-capacity National Stadium with a retractable roof and movable tiered seating
- 100PLUS Promenade that encircles the National Stadium
- A 6,000-capacity OCBC Aquatic Centre that meets FINA standards
- A 3,000-capacity OCBC Arena which is scalable and flexible in layout
- Water Sports Centre featuring kayaking and canoeing
- 41,000 sq m Kallang Wave Mall
- The iconic Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Shimano Cycling World
- Singapore Youth Olympic Museum & Singapore Sports Museum
- Sports Hub Library
- Daily community facilities and activities open for Singaporeans, including beach volleyball, hard courts for futsal, basketball and netball, lawn bowls, giant chess, skate park, climbing wall and running & cycling paths
The Singapore Sports Hub, which is managed by SportsHub Pte Ltd, is one of the largest sporting Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in the world. It is also Singapore's largest flagship PPP project of this nature, and has won the PFI award in London in 2011, World Architecture Festival Awards for Best Future Project in the leisure-led development category in 2013 and Sports Building of the Year in 2014.
For more information, please visit the Singapore Sports Hub
- Website: www.sportshub.com.sg
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