Partnership between Lagardère and the FTF

Christian Bîmes, president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), and Arnaud Lagardère, general partner and chief executive officer of Lagardère SCA, signed a five-year partnership agreement this morning at the Tenniseum, the Roland-Garros museum. The contract covers the French Open tournaments of 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Lagardère will be present throughout the tournament, particularly on the tennis courts. The radio station belonging to the group, Europe 1, will be right in the middle of the action at the Roland-Garros Stadium during the two weeks of the French Open.

Christian Bîmes: “The French Tennis Federation is delighted to welcome Lagardère Group as part of the prestigious group of Roland-Garros official partners over the next five years. We are well aware of Lagardère’s deep attachment to our sport. This partnership is thus a new step in the close, long-held relationship between Lagardère and French tennis, a relationship that involves both athletes and managers. This partnership will allow Europe 1, a Lagardère Group subsidiary, to provide its listeners with more dynamic and innovative coverage of the French Open. Its studio will be set up right inside Roland-Garros Stadium on the Place des Mousquetaires. The new partnership will bring the French Open a wider listening audience and even greater prestige. For Lagardère, it forms an integral part of the company’s mission to develop and promote tennis“.

Arnaud Lagardère: “Roland-Garros plays a major role in enhancing Lagardère’s image, but it also a project that brings together the men and women who make Lagardère what it is. Our company has always been motivated by the values of sportsmanship, which has led us to support many sporting initiatives, such as Paris’ candidacy for the 2012 Olympic Games and the development of the Paris Jean-Bouin Club, and to provide assistance to the young hopefuls and star players of French tennis, including Richard Gasquet, Gaël Monfils and Paul-Henri Mathieu, as well as Handisport tennis player, Mickaël Jérémiaz. This partnership with the French Open is a natural outcome our commitment to promote sporting values, which are also the values of our company. The desire for challenge and high-performance, the search for quality and the contribution we make to France’s position in the world are all an integral part of our identity. In short, becoming an official partner of Roland-Garros was an obvious step“.

This agreement is a logical result of the French Tennis Federation’s partnership strategy, which has been in place since 2001 and brings to 10 the number of official partners of the 2005 Roland-Garros tournament, set to begin in May 23.