(ISPS, also known as ISPS Handa) is a Japanese non-profit organization known for its sponsorship of golf tournaments worldwide, including the PGA Seniors Championship and LPGA Women's Australian Open. ISPS Handa is a member of the Tokyo Sports Association, a public-interest-incorporated foundation.
History ISPS Handa was founded in 2006, establishing the “Handa Cup” in the US as well as the “Handa Australian Cup” in Australia to fund and support LPGA senior golf tournaments. It also began organizing amateur events such as the Handa Cup All-Japan Golf Tutors Pro-Am Open Championship. Since 2007, ISPS Handa has also supported bowling tournaments in Japan and has co-sanctioned the Handa Cup Japan Pro Bowling Championship and the Handa Cup All Japan Women's Pro Bowling Championship. It also began to establish and support tournaments for major international tours. Since 2010, ISPS Handa has been hosting championships in Japan, such as the JPGA Senior Tour and the JGTO Challenge Tournament, including the ISPS Handa Cup Senior Masters. In January 2012, ISPS Handa established the ISPS Handa PGA Academy Program in collaboration with the PGA European Tour, in which UK professional golfers provide instruction to blind golfers. In 2013, ISPS Handa organized the World Sports Values Summit for Peace in Tokyo. In July 2014, ISPS Handa started supporting Mpumalanga Black Aces F.C. in the Republic of South Africa. In June 2015, ISPS Handa founded the ISPS Handa Global Cup, its first hosting tournament in association with Japan Golf Tour Organization.
Golf ISPS Handa promotes disabled golf and blind golf and provides management and financial support to a number of tournaments in cooperation with the local golf associations worldwide.
There have been several tournaments organized titled “ISPS” as an abbreviation of International Sports Promotion Society, and “HANDA” which is the last name of Chairman Haruhisa Handa, as well as the combined title “ISPS HANDA”. ISPS Handa became the title sponsor for the 2013 Golf World Cup, resulting in the official title of the tournament as “ISPS Handa World Cup Golf”.
The 6th PGA Handa Cup Philanthropy Senior Tournament (organized by The Professional Golfers’ Association of Japan), had total prize money 5 times higher than the previous year's (2006 The 5th PGA Philanthropy Rebornest Senior Open), becoming the first “Total Prize Money 100,000,000 yen Tournament” in the history of the PGA Senior Tour. Since its 11th event in 2012, this Tournament has been conducted by ISPS, and the 2014 event was entitled as the “ISPS Handa Cup Philanthropy Senior Tournament”.
The ISPS Handa Global Cup (Japan Golf Tour Organization), launched in June 2015, was broadcast overseas as a golf program with a commentator in English for the first time in the golf history of Japan. Besides the TV broadcast, the program was also distributed online through Ustream. The winner received as a prize a Japanese green Haori, instead of the green jacket.
Current ISPS Handa events Tour Tournament Year Location ALPG TourLadies European Tour ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open 2012–present New Zealand ALPG Tour, LET, LPGA Tour ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open 2010–present Australia PGA Tour of Australasia BMW ISPS Handa New Zealand Open 2016–present New Zealand N/A The Masters Media Dinner 2013–present United States N/A The ISPS Handa Mike Tindall 3rd Annual Celebrity Golf Classic 2013–present England European Seniors Tour ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship 2012–present England Japan Golf Tour ISPS Handa Global Cup 2015–present Japan Ladies European Tour ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters 2012–present England Legends Tour ISPS Handa Cup 2006–present United States N/A Duke of York Young Champions Trophy 2011–present United Kingdom IBGA ISPS Handa World Blind Golf Championship 2014–present Worldwide IBGA ISPS Handa Australian Blind Golf Open 2014–present Australia IBGA ISPS Handa Austrian Blind Golf Open 2014–present Austria IBGA ISPS Handa British Blind Golf Open 2014–present Great Britain IBGA ISPS Handa Ressmeyer Cup 2014–present Italy IBGA ISPS Handa Canadian Blind Golf Open 2014–present Canada IBGA ISPS Handa US Blind Golf Open 2014–present United States IBGA ISPS Handa South African Open 2014–present South Africa IBGA ISPS Handa Italian Blind Open 2014–present Italy
Past ISPS Handa events
Tour Tournament Year Country PGA Tour ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf 2013 Australia LPGA TourLadies European Tour Solheim Cup 2013 United StatesJapan High School Golf AssociationSouth Korea School Golf Association Handa Cup Japan-South Korea Junior Championship 2010–2014 Japan JPGA ISPS Handa Cup Philanthropy Senior Tournament 2007–2014 Japan European Tour ISPS Handa Wales Open 2012–2014 Wales European TourPGA Tour of Australasia ISPS Handa Perth International 2012–2014 Japan Sunshine TourEuropean Tour The Nelson Mandela Championship 2012-2013 South Africa Asian Tour Faldo Series Asia 2013–2014 Asia Asian Tour Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic (Faldo Series Asia) 2012 Cambodia PGA Tour Tavistock Cup 2013 United States Ladies European Tour Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open 2013 Scotland Legends Tour ISPS Handa Legend's Tour Open Championship 2007–2012 Australia Golf Australia Handa Australian Senior Open 2007–2012 Australia European Seniors Tour Handa Irish Senior Open 2010 Ireland Asian Tour ISPS Handa Singapore Classic 2007 Singapore JFOS, ISPS Handa Cup Japan golf leader Professional-amateur open 2006–2014 Japan ISPS ISPS Handa Heroes 2012–2014 United States Faldo Series Faldo Series USA Grand Final 2013–2014 United States ISPS ISPS Handa Cup Senior Masters 2010–2011 Japan ALPG Tour ISPS Handa Australia Cup 2006–2011 Australia ISPS ISPS Charity Challenge Tournament 2013 Japan ISPS ISPS Glowing Senior Open 2012 Japan ISPS Handa Cup Senior Championship 2007, 2009 Japan ISPS Handa Cup Tournament 2010 Japan ISPS Handa Cup Tournament Under 30〜 2010 Japan Golf Australia Handa Junior Masters 2009, 2011 Australia中国高尔夫球协会 Handa Cup Philanthropy in China CGA Challenge Tour 2010 China JFOS Handa Cup International 2009 China
Summit ISPS co-sanctioned the World Sports Values Summit for Peace in Tokyo, which was held on July 18–19, 2013. Top athletes and researchers came together from 16 countries around the world to discuss the topic “Sports can contribute to harmonizing the development of humanity and establishing and encouraging a peaceful society.”
At the World Sports Values Summit for Peace and Development, held on May 23–24, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, a partnership between ISPS and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) was announced.
Japan bowling
In Japan, ISPS supports bowling, hosting national tournaments throughout the year. In Japan, roughly 20% of the population bowls, compared with the 13.8% who play golf. However, the number of bowling alleys has decreased from 3,000 to 1,000. With the support of the ISPS, a number of bowling events have been held, and the professionalism of the sport has improved.
Operated Co-Sanctioned Title Year Japan Professional Bowling AssociationISPS Handa Cup Japan Pro Bowling Championship2007–present Japan Professional Bowling Association ISPS Handa Cup All Japan Women's Pro Bowling Championship2007–present Japan Professional Bowling Association ISPS Handa Cup Senior Ladies Pro Bowling Tournaments in Japan2008–present Japan Professional Bowling Association ISPS Handa Cup Philanthropy Pro Bowling Tournaments in Japan2009–present Japan Professional Bowling Association ISPS Handa Cup Philanthropy Ladies Professional Bowling Tournaments in Japan2009–present Japan Professional Bowling Association ISPS Handa Cup Pro Bowling Masters in Japan2010–present Japan Ladies Bowling ClubISPS Handa Cup Platinum Ladies Bowling Tournaments in Japan2009–present
Organization Founder and Chairman Haruhisa Handa Honorary Chairman George Carey Director Shinichiro Kurimoto Affiliation pro Golfers
Hideto Tanihara Yoshinori Fujimoto Akihito Yokoyama Miki Sakai Satoshi Nakayama Akira Kobayashi
Ambassadors
Laura Davies Lydia Ko Kathy Whitworth Jan Stephenson Yoshinori Fujimoto Miki Sakai
See also International Blind Golf Association
References
External links ISPS Golf