Kazan on Shortlist for 2014 Women’s Tennis Association Championships

Kazan is one of four finalist cities being considered for the right to host the 2014 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Championships, the WTA announced yesterday in Istanbul. The four finalists — Kazan, Mexico City, Singapore, and Tianjin — were chosen from a pool of 43 applicants. The host city will be announced in the spring of 2013.

“We believe we have an outstanding shortlist from which we will find the next host for the world’s premier sporting event for women,” WTA Chairman Stacey Allaster said in a press release.

According to Allaster, the WTA Championships is a “blue chip” international sporting event which brings some “$140 million of economic and media value to the host city.” The 2014 Championships will feature the world’s top 8 singles and doubles players duking it out for the world title.

Between now and the final decision, The Sports Consultancy, a British sports marketing agency, will be doing site visits to evaluate the four remaining bids.

Were Kazan to win the right to host the WTA Championships, it would be but the latest achievement in the city’s bid to establish itself as the sports capital of Russia. Kazan is already hosting the 2013 Summer Universiade, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, and is one of the host cities for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Kazan boasts the Academy of Tennis, a recently-built sporting facility with 8 indoor and 18 outdoor tennis courts.