Chris Kermode, a former professional tennis player and executive, was named vice chairman of the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) Wednesday in London.
Kermode, who served as president and executive chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for seven years, ending in 2019, joins Charles Adamo, executive director of the PTO.
“Given the decline in participation in sports like tennis and golf and the growth in triathlon, cycling and other endurance sports, professional triathlon has enormous potential to develop into a mainstream sport,” Kermode said. “This will require a unified front from the professionals and aligned interests with the commercial partners.”
The PTO is a non-profit organization, supporting professional triathletes. It showcases the achievements of the athletes, who participate in triathlon at every level. In January, the PTO joined forces with Crankstart Investments to raise $2 million in prize money for special events.
Under Kermode’s leadership, prize money for tennis players in the ATP rose by 70 percent.
As head of the ATP, Kermode was responsible for promoting global tennis to the next generation of fans and attracting new audiences with innovative broadcasts and formats. His goal will be the same with the PTO.
“From his start as a professional player, Chris experienced the formation of the ATP Tour in 1988, when tennis professionals sought to have a greater say in the growth and direction of their sport—the position professional triathlon finds itself in today,” Adamo said. “Chris rose to lead the ATP and helped fuel unprecedented growth in prize money and revenues in professional tennis.”
Kermode, 55, was a pro tennis player from England during the 1980s, whose highest ranking was 742th as a singles player before he retired in 1988.
