HOT summer of tennis
Hobart Out Tennis Club life member Brendon Oliver- Ewen has been named Tennis Tasmania’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year, following in the footsteps of fellow club member Hendry Lukman who won the award in 2022.
Hobart Out Tennis organises competitive and social events across Tasmania with a focus on inclusivity, with activities that welcome members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Over the past six years I’ve seen tennis environments in Tasmania transform and become far more welcoming and accepting of all community members,” Mr Oliver-Ewen said.
“At the awards night I was approached by several club presidents asking me how they can make their clubs more inclusive and it’s wonderful to see that there is a genuine desire from mainstream clubs to do better.”
Next month’s all-inclusive 2024 Hobart Out Tennis Tournament will feature 150 athletes from around the globe competing at the Domain Tennis Centre from 12 to 14 January.
The event will run alongside the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Hobart International competition.
Mr Oliver-Ewen said the tournament was an accredited part of the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA) world tour calendar.
“The partnership we have with Tennis Tasmania is quite unique – no other professional tournament in the world runs concurrently with a GLTA event,” he said.
“Our January tournament and other events are open to everyone, including LGBTQIA+ community members and allies.
“Through sport, we have grown a really accepting community. There are so few events like this in Tasmania which makes it so much more important.”
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