Key player in city’s landmark sports events

“Shanghai is home, and I don’t think its giant splash into world sports will ever end.” Michael Luevano Executive Director of the international division of Shanghai Juss Event Management Co AS executive director of the international division of Shanghai Juss Event Management Co, Michael Luevano has played a crucial role in many of Shanghai’s landmark sports tournaments.

These include the ATP 1000 Shanghai Rolex Masters, the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix and the equestrian Global Champions Tour.

The American said the city’s development of sports has far exceeded the expectations he held when he first came here two decades ago. One of his proudest early achievements was helping to transform the Heineken Open into the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Before arriving in Shanghai, Luevano marketed sports events in Hawaii, Hong Kong and Beijing. In 1997, he joined the state-owned Shanghai Bashi Industrial Co after it became the sponsor of Shanghai’s major tennis tournament.

The city hosted a tennis event as early as 1995. It was operated by a Western TV company. Bashi took over control and staged the inaugural Heineken Open in 1998. For Luevano, his arrival was well timed. Shanghai was on the cusp of becoming a major sports center.

“We assisted in finalizing the first ever negotiation between an international sports franchise and a Chinese state-owned company,” he said.

“Our first recommendation to the new owners was to form an anchor of players for the event, from which to create star power,” he said.

Back then, Michael Chang was the biggest player in Asia and the world, so we entered into a threeyear agreement with him. Chang, a Chinese-American, won the title in the inaugural Heineken Open.

“The second major factor was sponsorship,” said Luevano. “We secured Heineken as the title sponsor, and today it is still a commercial partner of the Shanghai event.”

Luevano was not content to pop into Shanghai whenever a tournament was coming. He decided to live and work here all year round as his commitment to the team.

“I have never left,” said Luevano, who also dabbles as a vocalist with a local band. “I didn’t know at the time that I would be here this long. But my family and I love Shanghai. My children have never lived anywhere else. We have made a great life here for ourselves.”

One of the earliest challenges was to build Shanghai’s profile as a major tennis tournament venue and attract top-flight players.

Shanghai became the host of the year-end ATP Masters Cup in 2002. From 2009 to 2013, the Shanghai tournament was selected by players as the best ATP 1000 tournament in the world.

Bashi was later merged into Juss Event. The state-owned company today is involved in tennis, Formula 1, equestrian competitions, athletics and Aussie rules.

The city government has lent support to the development of sports. For example, it encouraged Minhang District to build the Qizhong Tennis Center, venue for the annual ATP event.

“The Chinese are good hosts,” said Luevano. “Sports associations and government departments always work with us, from police to the Food and Drug Administration. It’s a well-oiled machine, and the events Juss provides give the city incredible prestige.”

For Luevano, “Shanghai is home, and I don’t think its giant splash into world sports will ever end.”