Genova Challenger Goes Green
Genova Challenger Goes Green
New initiatives focus on healthy life and clean environment
The 15th edition of the Aon Open Challenger Memorial Giorgio Messina has turned green with a host of initiatives focusing on healthy living and a clean environment. It’s all part of a long-term project for Valletta Cambiaso Park, home of the tournament in Genova, Italy.
Waste disposal company Esosport has kicked off a project known as “Recycle your shoes, repave your way”, for the collection and recycling of worn-out sneakers. An athletic track surface will be made of the recycled shoes collected at the tournament and in Genova in the past few months.
The theme for the week at the @Aonatp in Genova: #thinkgreen. The #ATPChallenger has taken an environmentally friendly approach. pic.twitter.com/7WIbWb2A3M
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 9, 2017
There has also been a separate collection in the park initiative, whereby the ball kids not on court are out patrolling the park, giving suggestions to spectators on how to separate different kinds of waste. The aim is to recycle the 13,000 plastic bottles of water that are consumed during the tournament.
A third initiative sees Green Catering, the supplier of the Aon Open Challenger, providing compostable tableware and various organic restaurant offers.
The tournament, which won the Challenger of the Year award in 2014, will wrap up on Sunday with Spanish former No. 23 in the Emirates ATP Rankings Guillermo Garcia Lopez and #NextGenATP Greek player Tstsipas to meet for the title. Garcia Lopez took down three Italians in succession, including Stefano Napolitano in the semi-finals to reach the decider.
The 19-year-old Tsitsipas advanced to his first ATP Challenger Tour final after No. 8 seed Martin Fucovics, of Hungary, retired with a foot injury during their semi-final. Tsitsipas had earlier beaten top seed Jan-Lennard Struff.