Oracle chief Ellison buys Indian Wells event and venue

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Larry Ellison, chief  executive of software company Oracle, is the new owner of the  Indian Wells tennis tournament and the venue itself.

Ellison’s Tennis Ventures LLC purchased the entire assets  from the previous ownership group, the businessman said in a  statement yesterday.

“Anyone who knows me knows I love the game of tennis. I play  it regularly, watch it frequently and now look forward to being  in Indian Wells every March to host the greatest players in the  world,” he said.

“This tournament has an incredibly solid foundation  including one of the best venues and management teams and I  intend to build on that and continue the vision of being one of  the greatest international sporting events worldwide.”

The previous ownership group was made up of PM Sports  Management, George Mackin and Bob Miller of Tennis magazine, the  United States Tennis Association and former players Pete  Sampras, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King.

The Indian Wells tournament prides itself on being the most  attended tennis event outside the four majors and will be held  from March 8 next year.

Ellison is also heavily involved in the BMW Oracle America’s  Cup sailing team and has shown interest in investing in an NFL  club.