Strong, smart, confident, equal! These are some of the qualities Venus Williams [Images] has exuded well on the tennis court. It is also her motto for the new Gender Equality programme she has signed up for UNESCO and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The American champion, seeded second at the on-going Bangalore Open, has also designed clothes in her fashion line ELEVEN for the cause, proceeds of which will go to charity.
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On Sunday, Bangalore Open organisers KSLTA made a pledge of US $100,000 towards the programme. The contribution will enable the establishment of a new partnership program in India, to be selected in the coming months, which will join previously announced programs in Cameroon, Liberia, China, Jordan and the Dominican Republic.
"It means a lot to be associated with this," said Venus.
"Even when we started playing tennis we used to see our dad coaching other kids. From very early in life we were taught the importance of giving back."
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