(Abu Dhabi, UAE): Today, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Black Knight International, and The Player Foundation announced the local beneficiary partner for the 2016 Gary Player Invitational, being staged for the first time this week at Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, will be the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs (ZHO).
Golf icon and Grand Slam Champion, Gary Player, visited ZHO at Al Mafraq to witness some of the charity’s local work and met some of the individuals benefitting from their care. During Gary Player’s visit, ZHO revealed its decision to rename the gymnasium within a new sports centre, which will open at the Baniyas Club, as the Gary Player Gymnasium.
ZHO’s Secretary-General, Mohamed Al Hameli, commented, “We are obviously delighted to be chosen by Gary Player and The Player Foundation as their charity partner. We have some very ambitious plans for our new sports centre and the funds raised at this event will assist with the future development. Mr. Player’s pioneering commitment to promoting the benefits of sport, health and wellness, made our decision to rename the gymnasium in his honor a very natural and fitting thing to do.”
Funds will be raised through team entries during tomorrow’s Pro-Am tournament at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and at a silent and live auction at a Gala Dinner at the Park Hyatt Saadiyat Island.
Tournament host Gary Player said, “We have raised more than $60 million for charities worldwide, including schools in South Africa and the USA, homeless individuals in the UK, and AIDS infected children in China. I have been extremely impressed by the work of the Zayed Higher Organization and look forward to helping them with their fundraising projects to improve the lives of those less fortunate here in Abu Dhabi.”
The Gary Player Invitational UAE is under the Patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and hosted in partnership with Abu Dhabi Sports Council. The event is sponsored by: TDIC, Rolex, SAP, Callaway, Bell Helicopter, Spinneys, Sport 360, Golf Digest, Arabian Radio Network, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, and Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Villas.
CONTACT
David Collins – Wasserman Media Group (on behalf of BKI)
dcollins@wmgllc.com
+971 55 568 9913
Meagan Fester – Black Knight International
meagan@garyplayer.co.za
+27 21 448 7777
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
b.wood@garyplayer.com
+ 1 864 477 2720
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.
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