Romanian businessman Ion Tiriac has offered to manage the Magic Box , where some of the best tennis and paddle courts in Spain are located. Following the publication of the article in EL MUNDO, which reported that the competition for the operation of these facilities had been deserted, the former tennis player contacted this newspaper to announce his intention to administer this sports space.
Tiriac is the president and founder of Super Slam Limited, the company that manages the rights to the Tennis Master 1000, which has been played in Madrid since 2009. In response to the question of why it was not submitted to the contest that was called last December, the Romanian tycoon argued that he has been traveling throughout Europe and had no information about the call.
«I am prepared to manage the Magic Box tomorrow. I have been working in tennis for 65 years and I want these courts to be busy and that there are championships for young people to play, ”Tiriac said in a telephone conversation with this newspaper.
The former tennis player said that in the next few days he will call the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, to present his offer. The Romanian tycoon praised the quality of the facilities, located in the district of Usera: "In all Europe, there is no club as advanced as the Magic Box."
New Open Agreement
Currently, Tiriac is negotiating with the City Council the new agreement for the Tennis Open tournament to be held at the Magic Box for another 10 years, starting in 2021.
Meanwhile, the City Council announced yesterday that it has reached a pre-agreement with Madrid Trophy Promotion (MTP) to manage the tennis and paddle courts of the Magic Box, once the Tennis Open ends, which starts in the month of may. There is nothing signed yet, but negotiations are progressing well.
The main obstacle with which the company is found is that two sports events are held at the Magic Box, the Tennis Open and the Davis Cup, which makes it difficult to give the necessary continuity to the classes.
Madrid Trophy Motion is also responsible for organizing the Tennis Open, but Tiriac is the owner of the tournament and who is responsible for managing the event, since they are two different companies.
The Romanian magnate, one of the richest men in the world, has just established the Ion Tiriac Foundation in Spain with the aim of creating scholarships to promote sports. His intention is to reach an agreement with the Madrid Tennis Federation to bring the children to play at the Magic Box.
Currently, the 346 students who trained on these courts stayed on the ground last September, when classes were suddenly interrupted. A total of 80 of them who participated in competitions were repescados in the municipal sports center of Orcasitas.
The agreement for children to play in Orcasitas ended at the end of March , but the Area of Culture, Tourism and Sports has managed to extend it until the month of June.
'Open it to neighbors'
From the Municipal Socialist Group, the mayor Mar Espinar asked yesterday that since the contest for the management of the Magic Box was deserted, the space «opens to the residents of Usera» , since the district suffers «a lack of sports infrastructure evident".
"It is a municipal facility that has cost more than 300 million public funds that we continue to maintain with money from all Madrid and Madrid," said Espinar, who asked the municipal corporation to "make the virtue necessary."
The work, designed by the French architect Dominique Perrault, began in 2006 with a budget of 139 million euros , but ended up costing almost 300 million. Throughout all these years, the City Council has made numerous unsuccessful attempts to obtain profitability from the high investment.
However, none of his tenants seems to have been satisfied. Now, Tiriac wants to go to the rescue of these facilities and wants the classes to be free to encourage sports among children. “It's something I already do in Romania where I have a hockey club with 2,000 children. Spain is number 1 in paddle tennis, but if I manage the Magic Box, I will give priority to tennis, ”he concluded.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more- Madrid
Events An 11-year-old boy, at 112: "Hello, sorry, my mom has suddenly yelled, she has fallen and I don't know what's wrong with her"
EconomyMontero closes the door to the EIB loan for the Mar Menor: "Murcia is on the run forwards, can not borrow more"
Barajas "We fly with a single engine and with damage to a wheel": this is how Air Canada communicated with the tower and the F-18