ISLAMABAD: The Junaid Family Foundation has announced its sponsorship of the World Tennis Women’s $15,000 Futures Tournament, scheduled to be held in Islamabad from Oct. 12 to 17 in what organizers describe as the first World Tennis women’s event in Pakistan.
Sanctioned by World Tennis and organized in partnership with the Pakistan Tennis Federation, the tournament is expected to feature about 40 international players competing alongside emerging Pakistani female tennis players.
The Junaid Family Foundation said its sponsorship reflects its broader commitment to women’s empowerment, health and well-being and will provide an international platform to highlight the achievements of women athletes.
The foundation has supported health and development initiatives in Pakistan, including large-scale maternal and child nutrition programs. It said its involvement in the tennis tournament expands its work beyond direct health interventions to initiatives promoting women’s visibility, achievement and well-being.
“Investing in women’s health has always meant more to us than clinical interventions,” said Ansir Junaid, chairman of the Junaid Family Foundation.
“This tournament lets us support world-class athletes while putting a spotlight on the health and well-being of women and girls across Pakistan,” he said.
Junaid said the tournament comes during an important period for women’s tennis in Pakistan, with another Futures Tournament to follow and the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania competition also expected to bring attention to women’s tennis.
He said the participation of about 40 overseas players would give Pakistani female players an opportunity to compete against international athletes on home soil and gain exposure to high-level competitive tennis.
The foundation said its involvement was part of its broader objective of supporting platforms that create opportunities for women and girls while promoting their health, development and participation in public life.
The Junaid Family Foundation operates in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pakistan, with initiatives focused on health care and development, education, equity and diversity, and civic engagement.
The foundation says its programs seek to address generational poverty and create opportunities for long-term prosperity, with women and children forming an important part of its development work.
The October tournament will bring international women’s tennis to Islamabad while giving Pakistan’s emerging female players an opportunity to compete against overseas athletes in an international event on home soil.