Email threat to NZ tennis tournament

Security will be beefed up for the Fed Cup tennis tournament in Christchurch this month after an international security threat against one of the teams.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has received an email from an unknown source making a security threat towards the event and one of the teams competing in the women's international teams tournament at Wilding Park.

The Press understands the threat was made three weeks ago against Syria, which will play in the same group as New Zealand in the Asia-Oceania event starting April 18.

Authorities are secretive about the exact nature of the threats but are taking measures to beef up security for players and spectators.

British and New Zealand police were alerted along with the tournament hosts, Canterbury Tennis, and a decision was made last week to inform the 11 participating teams of the threat made.

Canterbury Tennis executive director David Blackwell said he was confident the tournament would go ahead as scheduled.

He said there would be a "significant police and security presence" during the four days of competition.

Blackwell said he had not heard of any teams wanting to withdraw from the cup competition because of the threat. They start arriving in Christchurch on April 15.

He said cancelling the tournament had "not been an option".

"The ITF in their correspondence to the competing countries assured them that all the relevant authorities were taking every precaution to ensure the safe running of the event."

But he said the threat had been a "bolt out of the blue" to him.

"I've lost a little bit of sleep over the last few weeks although when the police outlined their (security) plan to me, you see the detail they've gone into and it makes you feel very secure."

Detective Sergeant Earle Borrell, of the Christchurch police, said they were confident protection systems were in place to ensure there was a "safe tournament".

It is not the first time a sporting event in New Zealand has come under threat, however, with a security scare at the New Zealand Golf Open in 2002.

A letter containing cyanide poison was sent to the United States Embassy in Wellington threatening to disrupt the tournament which had attracted world champion Tiger Woods.

The cyanide had accompanied a general threat against the Open.

Tennis New Zealand chief executive Don Turner said it was the first time an international tennis event in New Zealand had been threatened.

"We have to take anything like this seriously," Turner said, "but the main thing for us is that it's in good hands."

Blackwell did not think the threat would stop the public from attending the Fed Cup tournament.

"I think that New Zealanders appreciate that these sorts of things are pretty unheard of in our country," he said. "We can assure people that there will be a significant security plan in place. I would suggest it might be one of the most secure events that anyone could attend."