JP Morgan Tournament of Champions Will Celebrate 20th Anniversary in Grand Central Terminal January 12 - 19, 2017 by Beth Rasin
photo squashpics.com
July 26, 2016 -
New York, NY. The J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions (ToC)
confirmed today that the PSA World Series international squash
championship will return to Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall in
2017 from January 12 - 19. “We are so excited to be celebrating
our 20th anniversary of presenting all of the world’s best squash
players in the extraordinary setting of Grand Central Terminal’s
Vanderbilt Hall,” said John Nimick, President of Squash Engine, Inc.,
the tournament promoter. “The grandeur and vitality of Grand
Central Terminal as a venue for competition among the top-ranking
players has created an unparalleled spectator experience for our onsite
sell -out crowds, as well as fans worldwide who follow the action on
live web-streaming (SquashTV) or broadcast TV.”
The four-walled glass court, to be constructed in the five days prior
to first round play, will showcase the competitive intensity and
phenomenal athleticism of 128 of the world’s top squash players. Fans
will be able to catch the action in Grand Central from the ticketed
seats in the stadium, free standing room at the front wall or on closed
circuit TV screens on the west side of Vanderbilt Hall.
In 1995, ToC was one of the first events to be staged in Vanderbilt
Hall when the venue was made available for public use. Then world
#1 Jansher Khan of Pakistan defeated Rodney Eyles of Australia to win
his second title and lift the trophy for the first time in Grand
Central Terminal. In the years since, as befits its moniker, all but
two of the titleholders have been world #1 players. The
championship, absent from Grand Central Terminal during its renovation
from 1996-1998, returned to Vanderbilt Hall in 1999. The ToC is
the only sports championship presented annually in Grand Central
Terminal.
In 2016, the ToC generated 704 hours of global coverage, attracting 2.2
million viewers and realizing more than $40 million in media value for
its sponsors and partners. “In the ToC’s two decades in Grand Central
Terminal, the championship has become the players’ favorite place to
play, is a must-see event for fans locally and globally and has become
increasingly valuable as a major international sports property,” said
Nimick. “In 2017, the addition of the Great Northern Food Hall in
Vanderbilt Hall will add another level of hospitality for our onsite
fans. We are looking forward to continuing our tradition of combining
one of the world’s great sports properties with one of NYC’s great
community events.”
The J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions is one of eight World Series
events sanctioned by the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and one
of only three to offer equal prize money and draw size for both men and
women. It is the only PSA World Series event to have been staged
in the same venue for two decades.
J.P. Morgan, a global financial services company, is returning for its
ninth year of Platinum title sponsorship. Gold Sponsor Lexington
Partners, the world’s largest independent manager of secondary private
equity and co-investment funds, marks its nineteenth year of ToC
sponsorship.
Tickets range in price from $8 to $170 and will be available for purchase beginning October 7, 2016 at www.tocsquash.com.
* For sponsorship/ boxholder information: John Nimick, 617-731-6874,
sponsorship@tocsquash.com
