Roger Federer and the Swiss passenger train locomotive named after him (photo, ©2011 Nationale Suisse, may not be reproduced without permission)
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – Roger Federer and other tennis champs might be in training in Basel for the upcoming tournament there, but the Swiss star took time out Friday afternoon 28 October to train in a different way: he baptized a Swiss locomotive.
“I have never named a locomotive before, let alone one bearing my own name,” he said at the ceremony.
The train engine has been carrying passengers on Swiss trains since the start of September. It was named after the tennis star, with whom the company has had a sponsorship agreement for several years.
Federer says he is particularly pleased that, for every kilometre travelled by the locomotive, Nationale Suisse will make a contribution to the Roger Federer Foundation in Africa.
Nationale Suisse, an insurance company heavily involved in the new Gotthard rail tunnel project, and the CFF rail company say the train is expected to stay in service for a number of years.
The Swiss Indoors Basel ATP tennis tournament kicks off Monday 31 October in the western Swiss city which is also Federer’s home town.
Etas project in Zimbabwe: the Roger Federer Foundation is spending some CHF80,000 a year on the project to improve the infrastructure of 8 schools, as well as investing in teacher training and the quality of education for about 2,000 children in the Matopo region.
Basel and Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Roger Federer has signed a 10-year contract with Swiss bank Credit Suisse, for an undisclosed sum, the bank announced Monday 16 November. Federer, on his web site, notes that “As part of the partnership agreement, Credit Suisse will make a significant annual contribution to the Roger Federer Foundation, which is dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and to promoting education, sports and play, particularly in Africa.” The foundation was inspired by Federer’s South African mother and currently states on its web site that its capital is CHF4 million.
The bank’s CEO, Brady Dougan, did not stint in his enthusiastic praise of the Swiss tennis star:
