Presentation

The international women’s tennis championship the Bell Challenge is sanctioned by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). It receives each year players who compete at a world level as well as rising Quebec and Canadian elite athletes. The Bell Challenge is undoubtedly the most important indoor tennis happening in Canada and one of the world’s most prestigious women’s tennis tournaments in its category. Offering an exhilarating show to the public, promoting the Quebec know-how and most importantly giving a unique opportunity to the Quebec and Canadian athletes to enter the international scene are only a few of the objectives of the Bell Challenge. The women’s singles and doubles events are used to rank the players on the WTA tour. It is one of the thirteen tournaments with $220,000 in prize money.

Since its first occurrence in 1993 the Bell Challenge definitely won its spurs. The tournament received several honourable mentions demonstrating the quality of its organization:

• won « World’s best women’s tennis tournament » for eight years in the Tier III and IV category, an honour granted by the players of the professional WTA tour (1995 to 2000, 2004 and 2005). The Bell Challenge must compete with 20 to 30 large cities of the world for this title;
• won « International event of the year» at Gala Sports-Québec (2002);won « International event of the year par excellence » at the gala of the Fédération Québécoise de Tennis on four occasions (1996 1998 2000 2002);
• won « Sporting event of the year » at the Gala de l’Athlète’s Memoris d’Or evening (1996);
• finalist in the « International event» category at the Gala de l'athlète (2001 2002);
• finalist in the category «Quebec International Sports Award for sporting event » during the Quebec tourism award evening of the Office du tourisme et des congrès de Québec (2002);
• finalist in «International event of the year in Québec » at the Gala Sports-Québec (1998).