BAD GASTEIN, Austria - Located at the top of the beautiful Gastein valley in Austria, the Nürnberger Gastein Ladies can lay claim to being the WTA's most picturesque tournament. And to complement its stunning setting, the International level event has continuously strived to uphold the highest standards of sustainability.

Now these efforts have resulted in national recognition, after the Nürnberger Gastein Ladies claimed second place in a competition for sustainable sports events. 'Sportive Towards Sustainability', an initiative set up by Austria's Ministry of Environment and Life, considered applications from 50 sporting events, with waste management, climate protection and social responsibility among the judging criteria.

The tournament, run by experienced director Sandra Reichel, excelled in all these categories and was also commended by the judging panel for its pioneering organic catering, green approach to transportation and the protection of the nature reserve surrounding the site.

"Out of the 53 WTA tournaments worldwide the Nürnberger Gastein Ladies has a pioneer role," Reichel said. "We are very proud and happy having received this award. In June this year we will try to organize another event with world class tennis and keep in mind environmental responsibility at the same time."

The sixth staging of the Nürnberger Gastein Ladies will take place at the Hotel Europäischer Hof this summer, running from June 9-17. Previous champions at the clay court event include Francesca Schiavone, Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges and last year's winner María José Martínez Sánchez.