A charity tennis tournament dedicated to children and teenagers who pursue a competitive path in the sport is being organized this year in Crete. The Advantage, Youth charity tennis tournament will take place on January 18 at the facilities of the Baseline Sports Club in Rethymno, starting at 09:00 in the morning.
The event is aimed at children and teenagers up to 16 years old and above, and participation is free of charge. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to a total of 32 participants, 16 boys and 16 girls.
Registrations are available here: https://Ad-youth.eventbrite.com
Participants will receive tennis sports equipment from American brands, Suntribe sunscreens, as well as gift cards, while healthy meals and snacks will be provided throughout the day.
At the same time, all athletes over the age of 12 will receive a certificate of participation accompanied by a discount for a week of high-performance training at the Justine Henin Academy. Winners and finalists will secure free tennis lessons at the Baseline Sports Club and within the Tennis in Crete program.
A charitable initiative for children who keep trying
Behind the organization is Alla Kravchuk, founder of the charitable initiative Advantage, Youth, who knows from personal experience the financial challenges that come with a competitive tennis career. As she explains, the aim of the initiative is to support children who continue to try, even when circumstances do not allow it, by offering small but meaningful resources along their athletic journey.
Having grown up in a Central Asian country, she describes how even a pair of athletic shoes was almost equivalent to a monthly salary.
Her mother, who worked for a large international company at the time, tried to instill in her the idea that no one needs a specific type of shoe to become a great athlete.
With a crazy dream of sending her daughter to study at an American college, she worked two jobs to pay for my tennis lessons. She negotiated a deal with a local coach who saw my potential and reduced his monthly income for us. A local philanthropist gifted me a tennis racket so I could compete in a tournament. Thanks to my persistence, my mothers altruism, and a bit of support from others, I managed to secure a full tennis scholarship at a Division 1 university in the United States, earn my degree, build a career in finance, and eventually settle down and start a family in a place of my choice which is Crete, Ms. Kravchuk states.
