Black Knight International and Jidaino Souzou Koubou have partnered to celebrate the Union of Golf and Giving by staging the Gary Player Invitational presented by Mazda in Japan on March 19-22, 2016.
The Player Foundation, established by Marc Player, has chosen Support Our Kids as the beneficiary of the event to aid the suffering children of the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster and tsunami. The event also will help promote the restoration of North Eastern Japan, which in 2016, commemorates the fifth year since the disaster.
The Gary Player Invitational in Japan forms part of the world-leading charity golf series, which has raised more than $60 million for charities worldwide. The Player Foundation, aims to donate $100 million by 2020 to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Japan is the second event of the 2016 Gary Player Invitational series, and will continue later this year in Europe, New York, China and South Africa.
“I am so excited to be visiting Japan again and that we are able to host the Gary Player Invitational in such a special country. We have not forgotten the tragedy of the great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and our efforts will help change the lives of many young people who have been affected,” said Gary Player, Tournament Host.
The event is managed by the Executive Committee Chairperson, Mr. Wataru Takeshita and by former Manager of the Yomiuri Giants, Mr. Hara, a promoter of Support Our Kids. Furthermore, Gary Player will host a celebrity charity golf event, kids golf clinic and a business management seminar titled, “How to Win,” presented by Katsuyuki Kiyomiya, Manager of the top rugby league team, Yamaha Motor Jubilo, concluded with a charity gala auction dinner.
A charity concert produced by Shigeaki Saegusa, will be held as an opening performance at Suntory Hall in Tokyo on Saturday, March 19. Joining the entertainment lineup will be an up-and-coming 15-year-old violinist, Mone Hattori, a 17-year-old cello player, Yuya Mizuno and representing Soma-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, a chorus group called “MJC ensemble” consisted of junior and senior high school girls who actively perform around the world will join the event as the representative from the earthquake stricken area.
For more information please contact:
The Gary Player Invitational, SOK Japan
+81 (0) 3 6272 6252 / SOK@jidai.or.jp
http://support-our-kids.org/gpi
NPO Jidai no Souzou Koubou
Mitsuri Koujimachi Bldg 3F
2-12-6 Koujimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
b.wood@garyplayer.com
+ 1 864 477 2720
Meagan Fester – Black Knight International
meagan@garyplayer.co.za
+27 21 448 7777
Overview
Dates: March 19 (Sat), March 21 (Mon), March 22 (Tue) 2016
Venues: Suntory Hall, Musashigaoka Golf Course, Shinagawa Prince Hotel, Kasumigaseki Country Club, Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa
Organized By: The Gary Player Invitational, SOK Japan Committee
Co-organized By: Support Our Kids Committee
Special Sponsor: Mazda Motor Corporation
Supported By: Bourbon Corporation Japan, KOSE Corporation, Suntory Liquors Limited, GOLFPARTNER CO. LTD.
Content:
1. March 19 (Sat): Charity Concert at Suntory Hall 19:00-20:30
2. March 21 (Mon): Celebrity Charity Golf at Musashigaoka Golf Course 7:30-15:30
3. March 21 (Mon): Business Management Seminar presented by Gary Player with Katsuyuki Kiyomiya at Shinagawa Prince Hotel 19:00-20:30
4. March 22 (Tue): Charity Kids Golf Clinic & Tournament At Kasumigaseki Country Club 7:30-14:00
5. March 22 (Tue): Charity Auction Dinner at Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa 19:00-21:00
Program 1 -Charity Concert
Date: March 19, 2016 (SAT)?19:00?20:30
Location: Suntory Hall
Attendees: Approximately 2,000
Executive Adviser: Shigeaki Saegusa
Cast: Mone Hattori (violinist), Yuya Mizuno (cellist), MJC Ensemble (Chorus by Souma City, Fukushima Prefecture; Conductor: Yoichi Kaneko)
Fees: Adult 5,000 ; Child 3,000?(All Seats Reserved)
Tickets: Online ticket purchasing at http://l-tike.com/support_our_kids (available in Japanese only)
Program 2 -Celebrity Charity Golf (By invitations only)
Date: March 21, 2016 (MON) 7:30 15:30
Location: Musashigaoka Golf Course
Participants: Approximately 160 celebrities, professional golfers, and supporters of the SOK project
Program 3 -Business Management Seminar presented by Gary Player with Katsuyuki Kiyomiya: “How to Win”
Date: March 21, 2016 MON 19:00 20:30
Location: Shinagawa Prince Hotel (Annex Tower, Prince Hall)
Attendees Approximately 200
Cast: Gary Player, Katsuyuki Kiyomiya (Manager of the top Rugby League team Yamaha Jublio)
Fee: 15,000
Tickets: Online ticket purchasing at http://l-tike.com/support_our_kids (available in Japanese only)
Program 4 – Charity Kids Golf Clinic & Competition
Date: March 22, 2016 (TUE) 7:30 14:00
Location: Kasumigaseki Country Club West Course
Participants: Children from ages 9-14
Clinic Children ages 9-12
Competition Children ages 11-14
Fees: Clinic5,000 Members of the Tohoku Team are specially invited
Tournament10,000 Members of the Tohoku Team are specially invited
The Tohoku team = youth victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake
Tickets: Online ticket purchasing at http://l-tike.com/support_our_kids (available in Japanese only)
Program 5 – Charity Auction Dinner
Date: March 22, 2016 (TUE) Open 18:00 Start 19:00
Location: Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa “Hiten”
Attendees: Approximately 1,000
Participants: Gary Player, Chisato Moritaka etc
Auctioneer: Kojiro Shiraishi (Sailor, Sea Adventurer)
Fees: General Admissions 15,000, Parent & Child 20,000
Tickets: Online ticket purchasing at http://l-tike.com/support_our_kids (available in Japanese only)
Notes to the editors:
ABOUT BLACK KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Established in 1983 by Marc Player, Black Knight International is a global holding company for The Player Group and the constantly expanding family of Gary Player® brands. With a powerful presence in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Black Knight is a multicultural and multilingual company offering branded services for the leisure and real estate industries. This rapidly growing firm is diverse and infused with the same tenaciousness and drive as Gary Player, world renowned iconic golfer. The holding company divisions include: Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, Black Knight Enterprises, Black Knight Solutions, Black Knight Capital, Gary Player Academies, and The Player Foundation.
ABOUT THE PLAYER FOUNDATION
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player. What began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa has now blossomed into an organization that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities.
The Foundation is funded primarily by six Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever- expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach, the Masizame in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and AIDS infected children in Baoshan, a drug-infested city located on the China-Burma border. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated more than $60 million to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Gary Player, acknowledged as a world-class humanitarian, believes that the strength of our future depends upon the abilities of our children. “I have found that the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others does not thrust itself upon us,” Player says, “But we do not need to look hard for it either. When you spot the chance to give back to the world, act on it. You will have made life better, for others, and for yourself.”
The Gary Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
ABOUT SUPPORT OUR KIDS
It is said that it will take at least 20 years for the Tohoku area to fully recover from the unprecedented disaster. We strongly believe that early independence of children will play a key role in the reconstruction of the disaster affected areas. However, these children live in different kinds of stressful circumstances, such as emotional and economical stress, from losing their beloved ones and living in a temporary housing. In order for these children to feel proud of their hometown and actively work towards reconstruction, they need to have new experiences in a new environment and interact with new people. Our mission is to help provide these needs and therefore, started a 10-year project (from 2011 to 2020) called “Support Our Kids”, a continuous independence support project, with the cooperation and support of various Ambassadors in Japan. We would like to help as much children as we can, and we need your continuous support to make this happen.
Contact:
