The Swiss watch brand Longines, renowned for the elegance of its timepieces, is the Official Partner of Roland-Garros since 2007. This year therefore marks the 10^th edition of the prestigious Parisian tournament since the beginning of its partnership with the French Tennis Federation. As Longines boasts a long-lasting tradition of supporting charitable causes, it was only natural for the brand to mark this celebration by bringing its support to the organisation “Du Sport et Plus”.  The aim of the association is to improve the daily lives of hospitalized children within eight paediatric establishments located across France. 

During a cocktail reception held on June 3^rd in Roland Garros and in presence of representatives from the FFT, Longines presented a cheque worth 10’000 euros to Eric Friedrich, President of “Du Sport et Plus”, supported notably by French tennis player Paul Henri Mathieu. These funds will enable the association to reinforce its actions within these hospitals by offering equipment to improve the daily lives of young patients, organizing various outreach activities, such as visits by sports celebrities at the children’s bedsides, or even taking them to major sporting events, among them Roland-Garros.

Longines’ President, Walter von Känel, said about this special year of celebration: “Roland-Garros is undoubtedly one of the world’s most iconic sports events and we are very proud to contribute to its success as Official Timekeeper of the tournament for the 10^th edition already. The brand’s core values have always led Longines to serve philanthropic purposes and we wanted to mark this celebration by bringing our support to an organisation in links with sports and youth: “Du Sport et Plus”. We hope that we will help raise awareness on its activities and encourage people to contribute to improving the children’s daily lives during their hospital stays.”

Jean Gachassin, President of the French Tennis Federation, said: “I am delighted to celebrate this 10^th year of collaboration between Longines and Roland-Garros. The longevity of this partnership owes nothing to chance. Roland-Garros and Longines share indeed the same values: elegance, performance but also precision. I would also like to underline Longines’ involvement in the “Longines Future Tennis Aces” and “Rendez-vous à Roland-Garros in partnership with Longines” programmes. These great initiatives, which support young tennis players all over the world, prove Longines’ commitment to our sport.”

Roland-Garros tournament Director Guy Forget, also commented: “I am particularly touched by this tenth year of collaboration between Longines and Roland-Garros. This partnership, based on shared values, has always been very fruitful, as evidenced by the “Rendez-vous à Roland-Garros in partnership with Longines” programme. This event, which falls within Roland-Garros’ international development framework, provides superb visibility to the French Open. I am therefore very pleased that Roland-Garros and Longines will be continuing their collaboration until 2018.”

To find out more about Du Sport et Plus