KIA Amateur Australian Open

8/12/2019 KIA Amateur Australian Open

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The Kia Amateur Australian Open: Lessons for sponsor activation and

event management

Sheranne Fairley *, B. David Tyler

Department of Sport Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, 121 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, United States

Teaching note

1. Introduction

The Kia Amateur Australian Open (KAAO) is a tennis event held in conjunction with the Australian Open. The Australian

Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments (along with the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon). Kia is a

major sponsor of the Australian Open and uses the KAAO as part of the companys sponsorship activation strategy. The KAAO

attracts amateur tennis participants from 14 countries. Participants qualify from their home countries via tournaments at

regional and national qualifiers, and the World Finals are played concurrently with the Australian Open. Although

Australian Open is part of the name of the event, the KAAO is organized entirely by Kia and has no oversight by the event

(Tennis Australia) or the sports governing bodies (International Tennis Federation (ITF)).The case follows Jordana Hudson, an entrant in the 2007 KAAO, as she wins and is subsequently disqualified from the US

national tournament. Jordanas situation exposes several challenges faced by Kia, such as inconsistent qualification

procedures and potential misunderstanding of competitive international tennis. Kias extension from sponsor to event

organizer brought with it complications that were likely not considered when their activation strategy was being

formulated.

The case uses Jordanas situation as the context for lessons of event management and sport marketing, illustrating the

interrelatedness of an event and its sponsors. It gives students the opportunity to consider the theoretical and practical

Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532

A R T I C L E I N F O

Article history:

Received 22 June 2009

Received in revised form 14 September 2009

Accepted 21 September 2009

Available online 20 November 2009

Keywords:

Sponsorship

Event management

Sport marketing

A B S T R A C T

The case follows Jordana Hudson, an entrant in the 2007 Kia Amateur Australian Open, as

she wins and is subsequently disqualified from the US national qualifying tournament.

Kias core business is that of automobile manufacturing, but when Kia assumes the role of

event organizer as part of its sport sponsorship activation strategy, Kia experiences

complications that were likely not considered when the activation strategy was being

formulated. Jordanas situation exposes the challenges a firm can face in its sponsorship

activation, as well as the potential branding and event management issues that arise for

the sport property. This case gives students the opportunity to consider the theoretical and

practical challenges inherent in event management, co-branding, and sponsorship

activation.

2009 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by

Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 413 545 5058.

E-mail address: [email protected](S. Fairley).

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Sport Management Review

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s m r

1441-3523/$ see front matter 2009 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.smr.2009.09.006
mailto:[email protected]://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/14413523http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2009.09.006http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2009.09.006http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/14413523mailto:[email protected]


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challenges inherent in event management, co-branding, and sponsorship activation. The case describes a real situation, but

names of individuals have been changed to preserve anonymity.

2. Theoretical classroom applications

2.1. Event management

The KAAO was created as an activation mechanism in connection with Kias sponsorship of the Australian Open (Kia

Motors, n.d.). Its genesis and continued operation lie with Kias marketingdepartment, as seen in the letter Jordana receivedfrom Kias Retail Advertising Manager. Kia coordinated with its worldwide dealership network and local tennis clubs to

facilitate the qualification of entrants, but this lead to inconsistent qualification guidelines and procedures. Furthermore,

without the direct involvement of a tennis governing body (e.g., the ITF, the WTA, or Tennis Australia), Kia representatives

may have lacked the adequate sport knowledge to properly evaluate the status of competitors. As a car manufacturer, Kias

core competency does not lie with sporting event organization. It is thus possible to question if undertaking the operation of

an international tournament is the proper use of Kias internal employees.

It is important for students to understand the complexities associated with sporting events and the effects on

participants. The idea to decentralize local qualification procedures undoubtedly eased the initial administrative burden of

Kia, but its effects had subsequent ramifications for the participants who Kia was trying to reach.

2.1.1. Event management questions

o What do you think of how Kia handled Jordanas situation? Could Kia have taken a different approach? What would you

have done if you were Justin Funakura, Kias Retail Advertising Manager?

o How should Kia prepare for the meeting with Tennis Australia? What could Kia do to enable the smooth running event in

future years?

o If you were Jen Adams, what advice would you give to Jordana Hudson about Kias ultimatum? Should Jordana accept

option 1 or option 2?

2.2. Sport marketing

Marketing literature has consistently identified the need for sponsors to formulate and execute activation plans in

support of their sport sponsorship arrangements. By including sponsorships as part of a firms overall integrated marketing

approach, it is suggested that firms will realize better value from the sponsorship (Farrelly, Quester, & Burton, 1997). Proper

leveraging of a sponsorship can help differentiate the brand (Cliffea & Motion, 2005; Crimmins & Horn, 1996), provide addedfinancial value to the brand (Cornwell, Roy, & Steinard, 2001), and counteract the negative influence of ambush marketing

tactics (Farrelly, Quester, & Greyser, 2005). Specifically, industry research estimates that sponsors spend an average of $1.70

on activation for every $1.00 spent for rights fees (IEG Sponsorship Report, 2006).

In this case, the KAAO is an activation strategy as part of Kias sponsorship of the Australian Open. The KAAO would not

exist were it not for Kias sponsorship of the Australian Open. However, the challenges that arise suggest that there is a need

for the sponsored property to closely monitor the sponsors activities especially where co-branding is concerned.

One can examine the several brand image issues applicable to this case via two main foci of attention. First, one can

consider howJordanas situationwill reflect on KiaMotors and the KAAO. If one viewsKias actions as mismanagement,there

may be damage to the Kia brand and, through negative reverse image transfer from the sponsor to the sport property (Ruth &

Simonin, 2003), damage to the brand of the KAAO event. The KAAO is intended to engender a positive response from

participants and spectators, but questions about inconsistency of the eligibility criteria across regions and countries may

tarnish Kias or the KAAOs brand image. The second brand at stake is that of the Australian Open and, by extension, its

organizer, TennisAustralia. As its brand name is included in theKia Amateur Australian Open event name, there is likely to beconsumer confusion about the involvement of the Australian Open in the amateur event. Thus, if consumers develop

negative views of theKAAO and see the KAAO as a brand extensionof the Australian Open, there maybe transferenceof those

negative views to the Australian Open (John, Loken, & Joiner, 1998; Loken & John, 1993).

2.2.1. Stakeholder management

Jordanas situation highlights potential issues of unfettered actions on the part of event sponsors. The Australian Open

may receive positive publicity and interest thanks to its sponsors activation efforts, but it is also exposing itself to possible

repercussions. Sponsors should be encouraged to develop creative approaches to activation; doing so allows sponsors to

leverage their association with methods that will suit their organizational goals, and in the case of the KAAO, creates

additional inventory that was not previously part of the events offerings. However, event marketers should consider the

degree of oversight required to protect the event image and how such collaboration may be viewed by the sponsor. Taking a

more active role will require additional time and resources on the part of the Tennis Australia, perhaps more than they are

willing or able to provide. It may also damage the working dynamic between Kia and Tennis Australia as Kia may view theincreased influence as restrictive.

S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 253226


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One teaching tactic may be to divide the class into smaller groups (about three students each) and assign the groups to

view the situation from the point of view of Kia or the point of view of Tennis Australia. After giving time for the smaller

groups to discuss the marketing issues of the case, pair the groups (a Kia group with a Tennis Australia group) to have the

larger groups collaborate and answer questions about the case. By coming together as representatives of different

stakeholders, the subgroups will be motivated to defend their own interests while developing a possible solution.

2.2.2. Sport marketing questions

o Should Kia continue to run the KAAO?

o Should Tennis Australia provide any guidelines to which its sponsors leveraging activities should adhere?

o What role should Tennis Australia have in the KAAO? What are the pros and cons for Tennis Australia of taking a more

active role in the event management of Kias event?

o How might this situation affect the Kia brand? The Australian Open brand? The KAAO brand?

o Though the KAAO awards money to the winner and competitors can qualify even if they have earned prize money in the

past, the tournament is marketed as an amateur event. What are the implications of identifying the tournament as

amateur?

References

Cliffea, S. J., & Motion, J. (2005). Building contemporary brands: A sponsorship-based strategy.Journal of Business Research,

58(8), 10681077.

Cornwell, T. B., Roy, D. P., & Steinard, E. A. (2001). Exploring managers perceptions of the impact of sponsorship on brand

equity. Journal of Advertising, 30(2), 4151.

Crimmins, J., & Horn, M. (1996). Sponsorship: From management ego trip to marketing success. Journal of Advertising

Research, 36(4), 1120.

Farrelly, F. J., Quester, P. G., & Burton, R. (1997). Integrating sports sponsorship into the corporate marketing function: An

international comparative study. International Marketing Review, 14(3), 170182.

Farrelly, F., Quester, P., & Greyser, S. A. (2005). Defending the co-branding benefits of sponsorship B2B partnerships: The

case of ambush marketing. Journal of Advertising Research, 45(3), 339348.

IEG Sponsorship Report. (2006, March 13). 06 Activation spending to match all-time high. IEG Sponsorship Report, 25(5),

pp. 1, 46.

John, D. R., Loken, B., & Joiner, C. (1998). The negative impact of extensions: Can flagship products be diluted?Journal ofMarketing, 62(1), 1932.

Kia Motors. (n.d.).Australian Open Tennis Championships 2009 Event Guide. Retrieved on September 5, 2009 fromhttp://

www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/kia_motors.html .

Loken, B., & John, D. R. (1993). Diluting brand beliefs: When do brand extensions have a negative impact? Journal of

Marketing, 57(3), 7184.

Ruth, J. A., & Simonin, B. L. (2003). Brought to you by brand A and brand B: Investigating multiple sponsors influence on

consumers attitudes toward sponsored events. Journal of Advertising, 32(3), 1930.

S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 27
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/kia_motors.htmlhttp://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/kia_motors.htmlhttp://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/kia_motors.htmlhttp://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/kia_motors.html


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The Kia Amateur Australian Open: Lessons for sponsor activation and

event management

Case study

1. Introduction

Jordana Hudson, a tennis coach and avid tennis player, is a native of Reconquista, Argentina. In 19941995, Jordana was

the number one ranked junior player in Argentina. In 1996, Jordana moved to North America and attended the University of

Mississippi, where she was the co-captain of the tennis team. During her tenure, the team won the Southeastern Conference

championship. Additionally, Jordana advanced to the Semifinals of the National Clay Court Tournament in Baltimore as well

as the Semifinals of the All American in Los Angeles. Jordana pondered turning professional after graduating from Mississippi

in 2001; instead, she went to the University of Massachusetts to attend graduate school and serve as the Universitys

Assistant Tennis Coach. She graduated with a Masters degree in Sport Management and accepted an Academy Manager

position at the Manchester Athletic Club, where she could combine both her marketing skills and passion for tennis. While

Jordanas playing career took a break, she continued to work out every day to maintain her fitness and also played with

colleagues when she could.

In 2007, Jordana received a phone call from a colleague and friend at the Weymouth Tennis Club (another local tennis

club) encouraging her to enter an amateur tennis tournament that was being hosted by his club. This tournament was aregionaltournament thatformed the first round of the Americanportionof the Kia Amateur Australian Open(KAAO)series.

The tournament is an international tournament played in 14 countries with the culminating event being the World Finals

played in Melbourne, Australia during the Australian Open. Jordana won the regional tournament fairly convincingly. This

winmeant thatJordanaqualified to represent the Northeast region in the nationaltournament heldnear Atlanta,Georgiaat

the BridgeMill Tennis Club. At the national tournament Jordana again playedwell and was the tournament champion. This

victory qualified her for the KAAO Finals held in January of 2008. However, fewer than 24 hours after Jordana had been

awarded her trophy and prize money, a complaint was lodged with tournament officials who would then have to

investigate claims of Jordanas eligibility to participate in the tournament. At this time, they contacted Jordana regarding

the issue.

2. Kia Motors and sport sponsorship

Founded in 1944, Kia Motors Corporation is Koreas oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. Kia has 14 production centersin eight countries and distributes to dealers and distributors in 165 countries. Global vehicle sales for the company are

approximately 1,400,000 units per year, with an annual revenue of almost US$17 billion (Kia Motors Corporation, 2007). Kia

recently expanded its global reach through the construction of a production plant in Atlanta, Georgia that opened in 2009

(Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, 2009).

Like many companies attempting to increase brand awareness, Kia entered the world of sport sponsorship by partnering

with the Australian Open in 2002 as a major sponsor. Kia had not previously sponsored any sporting events, but has since

entered sponsorship arrangements with FIFA, the NBA, and the Kia X-Games Asia.

The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam competitions in professional tennis. Since 2002, Kia has maintained

its relationship with Tennis Australia and continues to revamp the activation strategies associated with the sponsorship.

During the Australian Open, Kia hosts numerous interactive programs at the event itself, including the Kia Fan of the Day

promotion, showcases its latest vehicle line around the event precinct, and provides 80 courtesy vehicles for

transportation of the players, VIPs, officials, and media during the event. To help leverage their sponsorship beyond event

time, in 2003 Kia implemented an international tournament targeted at amateur tennis players: the Kia AmateurAustralian Open.

3. Kia Amateur Australian Open

Kia attempts to cast its net to grassroots tennis participants on a global level through the implementation of the Kia

Amateur Australian Open (KAAO). The KAAO attracts an estimated 500010,000 players from 14 countries (Kia Motors

Corporation, 2008b; Kia Motors Corporation, 2009). The KAAO format includes regional and national qualifying

tournaments in each country. The winners of each national tournament, one male and one female, are rewarded with the

opportunity to represent their country by moving on to the KAAO World Finals in Melbourne, Australia. The womens

champion, mens champion, mixed doubles, and team champions are subsequently awarded from the 32 players from 14

countries.

In October, four regional tournaments were hosted in the United States (in Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Chicago). Each

regional tournament produced a mens and womens champion to move on to a national tournament held in November. Thenational champion plays in the KAAO in Australia in January. Though Kia provides individual clubs with basic eligibility



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criteria and possible dates on which to hold the regional/national qualifying tournaments, the organization of these

tournaments is left to the individual clubs.

While the KAAO Finals are played during the Australian Open tournament, the organizers of the two events are unrelated.

Tennis Australia is the event organizer behind the Australian Open, while Kia privately runs the KAAO as part of its

sponsorship activation. As a result, the KAAO is not officially sanctioned by any sport governing body and is the sole

responsibility of Kia.

Kias goals in activating its sponsorship through the tournament are varied. First, Kia is championing participation of

amateur athletics through the organization of the tournament. Additionally, Kia is promoting goodwill amongst the publicby sponsoring an amateur athletic event. Ethan Murphy, Vice President of Marketing for Kia Motors America, has said, Kia is

proud to sponsor KAAO and provide amateur athletes with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on a world stage at

one of worlds premier tennis venues (Kia Motors America, 2007). By offering the opportunity for amateur athletes to

compete on a global stage, Kia is tying in both its public relations and marketing into one large event. Through the event, Kia

is able to further align its image with the sport of tennis and athletics as a whole. Finally, Kia is able to use the association of

the amateur event to promote awareness of the upcoming Kia Australian Open. In 2008, the President and CEO of Kia Motors

Corporation, Chunsuk Yoon, said,

Our sponsorship is consciously designed to actively encourage participation of fans and amateur players from all over

the world. By encouraging interaction between a broad customer base and our brand, we are happy to emphasize Kias

fun and dynamic brand values. (Kia Motors Corporation, 2008a)

It is clear that Kia has various reasons for running the event as it serves the company in several facets of itsoperations.

3.1. Prizes

While the Kia Amateur Australian Open is billed as an amateur tournament, prize money is awarded (as is noted below,

entrants past prize money earned does not necessarily disqualify them from the competition). By winning the regional and

national tournaments for the KAAO, a United States participant is able to accumulate $2000 in prize money. Additionally, Kia

covers the travel and accommodation expenses for the winners of the regional tournaments to participate in the national

tournament, including the expenses for a guest to accompany them. The champion of the national tournament earns a

trophy, and winners receive a first class round trip airfare to Australia, where they represent the USA in the KAAO World

Finals. All accommodations and meals are paid for and the athletes also receive welcome gifts and prizes. While in Australia

the players receive pro player treatment, including tickets to the Australian Open each day as well as admission to player

dinners, cocktail parties, and various other tennis related events. The prize for moving on to the international final inAustralia is valued at US$5000.

On winning the national tournament, Jordana was awarded a cheque for $2000 and a champions trophy. Jordana and her

guest, Jen Adams, immediately proceeded to the airport as they had an evening plane to catch. While boarding the plane,

Jordana received a call from someone who she had met at the tournament, warning her that there had been an official

complaint made by the woman that she beat in the final. The complaint questioned Jordanas eligibility to participate in the

amateur tournament. Specifically, the complaint suggested that Jordana did not have amateur status, as it was alleged that

she had accumulated Womens Tennis Association (WTA) points in the past. Jordana maintains that she has never been a

professional tennis player. On returning to Massachusetts, Jen started investigating these claims by looking into (1) the

eligibility criteria of the tournament, and (2) whether Jordana had in fact accumulated WTA points at some point in her

career. The following is what she found.

3.2. Eligibility criteria for regional tournaments

Absent of any sport governing or sanctioning body, the KAAO is run in various countries by a host of different clubs and

venues. The regional and national tournaments are so far removed from the KAAO organizers that they are given the

autonomy to run the tournaments themselves. In doing so, the regional and national tournaments lack a uniform set of

guidelines regarding who can enter the tournament. The following is an example of a few of the different tournaments

specific eligibility rules.

BridgeMill Tennis Club website (host of the US Southern Regionals and Nationals):

Players must not have any career ATP points.

The singles tournament is open to all players 21 and over with no prior ATP/WTA points in the last 5 years.

BridgeMill Tennis Club newsletter:

Players must be 25 or older.

Players must not have competed on tour or have earned one or more ATP points.

South Barrington Club (host of the US Central Regional Tournament): Players must be 25 years and older.



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Kia Website Press Release:

All competitors must be aged 21 and older.

No player who has earned a point in an ATP or WTA event is eligible.

Given the inconsistencies between the eligibility criteria for the different tournaments within the US circuit, Jen looked further at

therequirements fortwo other countriesthat participatedin thetournament:Australia andSouthAfrica. Thefollowing wasfound

on the websites of the respective national tournaments:

Australian National Tournament:

All competitors must be aged 18 years old at the start of the tournament.

No player must have had a WTA singles ranking and/or point, or ATP ranking or point at anytime.

South Africa Regional and National Tournament:

Competition open to all players in South Africa over the age of 25.

No current pros, ex-pros, will be allowed to enter. Any player who has ever held a WTA or ATP ranking will be excluded.

The inconsistencies in eligibility criteria were wider than the tournaments within the US. Jen contacted Tennis Australia, the

sanctioning body for the Australian Open. After a conversation with Tennis Australia, it became apparent that Kia itself had full

responsibilities for the tournament as part of its sponsorship activation, and that the tournament was not officially sanctioned by

anytennis body. Despite theinconsistencies, Jen thought that it would be useful to have all information in hand beforeaddressing

the concerns of Kia.

3.3. WTA points

Jen contacted the WTA to see if they had any record of Jordana earning WTA points. Jen received an immediate response

with two files attached: one for her singles record and one for her doubles record (see Tables 1 and 2).

The Womens Tennis Association (WTA) is the governing body of professional tennis worldwide. The WTA Tour is the

premier competition circuit for womens professional tennis. Before women make it onto the WTA Tour, they work their way

up through the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Womens Circuit. The ITF is a lower circuit of entry-level competitions

that allow players to gain experience and points to move up into the WTA Tour.

The WTA points system is the primary indicator of the world rankings in professional tennis. Points are distributed to

the players based on the level of the tournament and how well players perform in the competition. For example,

if a player wins a Grand Slam event such as the US Open in New York, she would be awarded 1000 WTA points.

Likewise, players that make it to the semifinal round of the US Open would receive 450 points. Alternatively, a playerthat wins a lower tiered event on the WTA Tour, such as the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship, would only receive

465 points. As stated earlier, players who enter the ITF Womens Circuit can accumulate points even though they are not

yet on the WTA Tour. The point totals that are awarded at this level range from 6 to 75 points for winning the

tournament. These tournaments are given much less weight in points. The relationship between the two circuits events

Table 1

Jordana Hudson WTA Tour Singles results (Career win/loss record: 2/3).

Tournament Round Opponent (WTA Rank, Tournament Seed) W/L Score

1996 Buenos Aires, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000) 32 Landa, Ma. Fernanda (212, 1) L 6-2, 6-3

1996 Buenos Aires 2, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000) 32 Dag, Valeria (0, n/a) W 6-4, 6-3

1996 Buenos Aires 2, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000) 16 Landa, Ma. Fernanda (212, 1) L 6-2, 6-2

1996 Buenos Aires 3, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $25,000) 32 Troch, Delphine (856, 15) W 6-2, 6-1

1996 Buenos Aires 3, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $25,000) 16 Rossi, Laura (729, 7) L 6-1, 6-2

Table 2

Jordana Hudson WTA Tour Doubles Results (Career win/loss recor d: 0/3).

Tournament/Partner Round Opponent (WTA Rank, Tournament Seed) W/L Score

1996 Buenos Aires, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000)/Partner:

Jimenez, Maria

16 Arevalo, Melisa & Basile, Florencia (0, n/a) L 6-4, 6-2

1996 Buenos Aires 2, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000)/Partner:

Jimenez, Maria

16 De Amelio, Sandra & Racedo, Paula (735, 2) L 6-3, 6-4

1996 French Open, France (WTA; Clay; $4,105,011)/Partner:Nola, Pavlina 64 Halard-Decugis, Jul & Testud, Sandrine (167, n/a) L 6-4, 6-1



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is not completely defined, but it is clear that ITF events are far less superior to WTA events. Despite the differences in the

tours, all of the professional tennis players are ranked according to the amount of points they accumulate. Points that

are valid towards a ranking must be accumulated within the past 52 weeks, and only the best 16 tournaments that a

player plays in are counted towards this total. A basic grid of how points are distributed in the WTA in 2007 is shown in

Table 3.

As the table shows, a competitor can play in a tournament and receive no points. According to the Sony Ericsson

WTA Tour records, Jordana Hudson competed in the 1996 Buenos Aires Tournament in Argentina and received no

points for her efforts in both Singles and Doubles. Additionally, the WTA has record that Jordana competed in the 1998

French Open, a Grand Slam event, where she earned two points. When Jen took this news to Jordana, Jordana adamantly

denied that she ever participated in the French Open, and further claimed that she had never even stepped foot inside

France.

4. Correspondence between Jordana Hudson and WTA

The KAAO organizers contacted Jordana by phone in November of 2007 to inform her that she was ineligible for the KAAO

tournament. It had been brought to their attention that Jordana had accumulated WTA points in the 1998 French Open. The

event organizers found this to be in violation of her amateur status and against tournament rules. After being told this, with

the help of Jen, Jordana responded with the following letter:

November 13, 2007

Dear Kia Tournament Organizers,I would like to sincerely apologize for the controversy that my entry into the tournament has caused. However, there does

not seem to be any clear set of eligibility criteria. Please see the supporting attachments as documentation of this. The

tournament was clearly advertised on the BridgeMill Tennis Club website the host club for the Southern Regionals and

Nationals tournaments. On the website it states that Players must not have any career ATP points. I do not. Further, it

states that the singles tournament is open to all players 21 and over with no prior ATP/WTA points in the last 5 years. I

would assume that all of the regional tournaments (including the Eastern Region at Weymouth) would have the same

rules as they ultimately feed the national tournament. There is a similar inconsistency on the website of the South

Barrington website where one of the other regional events was hosted stating that you have to be 25. Combined, it would

seem that there are no consistent eligibility requirements, or this would seem to be false and/or misleading advertising.

I contacted the WTA to work out when it was that I had WTA points. The WTA claims that I played in the French Open

which I did not. I have not even been to France. I am therefore in the process of trying to get further information from the

WTA.

Again, I sincerely apologize for the controversy that this has caused. Had I believed that I was not eligible to participate inthis tournament, I would never have taken time off work (a week in total) to participate in the regional and national

Table 3

2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour points system.

WTA W F SF QF R16 R32 R64 R128 Q Q3 Q2 Q1

GS 1000 700 450 250 140 90 60 2 31 25 15 2

Tour Champ 750 525 335 185 105

Tier I $3m (96) 500 350 225 125 70 45 30 1 20 10 1

Tier I $2m (96) 465 325 210 115 65 40 25 1 15 10 1

Tier I $1m (56) 430 300 195 110 60 35 1 15 10 1

Tier I $1m (32) 430 300 195 110 60 1 20 15 10 1Tier II 650 (64) 300 215 140 75 40 20 1 10 5 1

Tier II 650 (32) 300 215 140 75 40 1 15 10 5 1

Tier II 600 (64) 275 190 125 70 35 20 1 10 5 1

Tier II 600 (32) 275 190 125 70 35 1 15 10 5 1

Tier III 225 (32) 165 115 75 40 20 1 9 5 3 1

Tier III 175 (64) 140 100 65 35 20 10 1 4 3 1

Tier III 175 (32) 140 100 65 35 20 1 8 4 3 1

Tier IV 145 (32) 115 80 50 30 15 1 7 3 2 1

Tier IV 145 (32) 115 80 50 30 15 1 4 2 1

ITF Pro

100k + H (New) 75 55 40 20 10 1 3 2 1 0

100k (New) 70 50 35 18 9 1 3 2 1 0

$75k + H 65 45 29 16 8 1 3 2 1 0

$75k 55 39 25 15 7 1 3 2 1 0

$50k + H 45 32 20 12 6 1 3 2 1 050k 35 25 16 9 5 1 3 2 1 0

$25k 25 17 12 7 4 1 1 0 0

$10k 6 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 0



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tournaments. Given there are no clear and consistent set of eligibility requirements I would like you to reconsider my

disqualification.

Yours sincerely,

Jordana Hudson

In response to this letter above, Kia wrote back with the following correspondence:

December 4, 2007

Dear Ms. Hudson,As you are aware, there has been some confusing information about your eligibility to participate in the Kia Amateur

Australian Open Tennis Tournament, we would like to finally resolve this issue and request you decide between two

choices:

1. Disqualify yourself from the tournament and return the tournament trophy. If you decide to do this, we will allow you to

keep the $2000 you have won thus far in the tournament. We would require you sign a full release of any and all claims

directed against Kia and any sponsors of the tournament. The release will be drafted by our attorneys and may need to be

notarized.

2. Continue to assert your right to participate in the KAAO. If you decide to do this, we will allow you to keep the $2000 you

have won thus far in the tournament and the trophy. You will also be required to take steps to fully nullify or cancel any

professional points that have been ascribed to you (which you have asserted are in error) by pro-ranking association in

order to have an amateur ranking by the time of the KAAO. We would require you to sign an affidavit under penalty of

perjury stating you have never had actual professional points and those ascribed to you were done in error, and that you

would indemnify, defend, and hold Kia harmless for any claims brought by any party claiming you had no right toparticipate in the KAAO, and reimburse us for any funds provided to you should it later be determined that you have had

professional points prior to your participation in the KAAO. In that event, we would be entitled to recover all funds and

benefits provided to youand any attorneys fees expended. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WOULDNEED TO CLEAR THERECORD

BEFORE DECEMBER 20, 2007.

Please let us know how you would propose to proceed and we will direct our attorneys to draft the appropriate

documentation. These options will remain available until Tuesday, December 11, 2007.

Regards,

Justin Funakura

Retail Advertising Manager

Jordana and Jen read through the letter. They realized that there were only 5 days to make a decision as to how to proceed,

given that Jordana did not receive the letter until December 6. It is clear that Jordana has an argument to the fact that she has

remained an amateur athlete throughout her career. Alternatively, the KAAO organizers do have some type of proof tosuggest that her claims to amateur status may be false. If Jordana chose to fight to remain in the tournament, it was clear that

she would have to come up with a solid argument to support her claims of amateur status and to dispute the inconsistencies

in the eligibility criteria of the tournament. Jordana and Jen then sat down together to work out how to proceed.

Meanwhile, Tennis Australia officials had learned of the situation. They were concerned about the controversy and asked

to meet with Kia representatives. As the organizers of the Australian Open, they were interested in an explanation from Kia

and to hear Kias plan for next years KAAO.

References

Kia Motors America. (2007, August 15). Kia Motors offers amateur tennis players an opportunity to play for Team USA at the

Kia Amateur Australian Open [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.kiamedia.com/secure/corporate081507.html.

Kia Motors Corporation. (2007). Annual report 2007. Retrieved from http://www.kmcir.com/Download/Kia_AR07(eng).pdf.

Kia Motors Corporation. (2008a, January 10). Kia Motors poised to win hearts of fans at 2008 Australian Open [Press Release].

Retrieved from http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx?index=404.

Kia Motors Corporation. (2008b, January 28). KiaMotors extends major commitment to Australian Open on eve of tournament

final[Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx?index=409.

Kia Motors Corporation. (2009, January 19). Kia Motors to serve another ace to fans at 2009 Australian Open [Press Release].

Retrieved from http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx?index=456.

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (2009, April 16). KMMG team members moving to West Point plant site [Press

Release]. Retrieved from http://www.kmmgusa.com/news_04_16_09.aspx.

http://www.kiamedia.com/secure/corporate081507.htmlhttp://www.kmcir.com/Download/Kia_AR07(eng).pdfhttp://www.kmcir.com/Download/Kia_AR07(eng).pdfhttp://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx%3Findex=404http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx%3Findex=409http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx%3Findex=456http://www.kmmgusa.com/news_04_16_09.aspxhttp://www.kmmgusa.com/news_04_16_09.aspxhttp://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx%3Findex=456http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx%3Findex=409http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx%3Findex=404http://www.kmcir.com/Download/Kia_AR07(eng).pdfhttp://www.kmcir.com/Download/Kia_AR07(eng).pdfhttp://www.kiamedia.com/secure/corporate081507.html

Documents

KIA Amateur Australian Open