Tennis Big Bust fall-out in Penang

In the newspapers today, it is revealed that the cost for cancellation of the Kings Of Tennis Big Bang Penang tournament will be in the region of millions. To be more exact, about RM18 million. The cancellation came about because the local organisers could not pay their foreign partners the fees to bring in the players.

A big fiasco, because the local organisers were hoping that the Penang government could play a bigger role in the event. But as it was a private sector initiative and not an official government programme, the government claimed it could not do more than to give the event its usual support. Still, the Espanade field had been rented to the organisers at a nominal fee which came up to RM200,000 anyway. I wonder how much it would have cost if the fee was not 'nominal'.

State Tourism Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said that “tournament organising chairman Arianna Teoh called me on Tuesday night and insisted that the event would go on. But the international players will not be coming. The state government should not be held responsible for the cancellation as we only endorsed the project and were not partners in organising it. The initiative was taken by a private organisation with the state authorities only helping them get the venue."

He said that the state had waived the RM2mil bank guarantee from the organisers to set up the structures at the Esplanade Heritage Site. The Star newspaper said that a check with the Penang Island Municipal Council revealed that the RM200,000 rental for the usage of the Esplanade field has not been paid.

Law said the council would get tough on the organisers if they failed to keep their agreement to restore the venue to its original condition. “The organisers are responsible for the restoration of the field. If they don’t comply, action will be taken against them." The grass on the field near Fort Cornwallis was dug up and the surface tarred before the tennis court was laid.