International Sports Promotion Society

International Sports Promotion Society (国際スポーツ振興協会, Kokusai Spōtsu Shinkō Kyoukai) (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.^[2]

International Sports Promotion Society

国際スポーツ振興協会
Abbreviation	ISPS, ISPS HANDA
Formation	2006 (2006)
Founder	Haruhisa Handa
Type	Non-profit
Purpose	To increase welfare through sports[1]
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Website	www.ispsgolf.com

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,^[3] in which UK professional golfers provide instruction to blind golfers.
• In 2013, ISPS Handa organized the World Sports Values Summit for Peace in Tokyo.^[4][5]
• In July 2014, ISPS Handa started supporting Mpumalanga Black Aces F.C. in the Republic of South Africa.^[6]
• In June 2015, ISPS Handa founded the ISPS Handa Global Cup, its first hosting tournament in association with Japan Golf Tour Organization.^[7]

Golf

ISPS Handa promotes disabled golf and blind golf^[8] 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”.^{[9][10][11][12]}

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.^[13]

Current ISPS Handa events

Tour	Tournament	Year	Location
ALPG Tour Ladies 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 Tour Ladies European Tour	Solheim Cup	2013	United States
Japan High School Golf Association South 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 Tour PGA Tour of Australasia	ISPS Handa Perth International	2012–2014	Japan
Sunshine Tour European 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[14][15]	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〜[16]	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.^[17]

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 Association	ISPS	Handa Cup Japan Pro Bowling Championship[18]	2007–present
Japan Professional Bowling Association	ISPS	Handa Cup All Japan Women's Pro Bowling Championship	2007–present
Japan Professional Bowling Association	ISPS	Handa Cup Senior Ladies Pro Bowling Tournaments in Japan	2008–present
Japan Professional Bowling Association	ISPS	Handa Cup Philanthropy Pro Bowling Tournaments in Japan	2009–present
Japan Professional Bowling Association	ISPS	Handa Cup Philanthropy Ladies Professional Bowling Tournaments in Japan	2009–present
Japan Professional Bowling Association	ISPS	Handa Cup Pro Bowling Masters in Japan	2010–present
Japan Ladies Bowling Club	ISPS	Handa Cup Platinum Ladies Bowling Tournaments in Japan	2009–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^[19]
• Satoshi Nakayama^[20]
• Akira Kobayashi

Ambassadors

• Laura Davies
• Lydia Ko
• Kathy Whitworth
• Jan Stephenson
• Yoshinori Fujimoto
• Miki Sakai

See also

• International Blind Golf Association
• Japanese Blind Golf Association

References

1. "Foxes foursome and new naming sponsor for Open". Queenstown, New Zealand: Mountain Scene. November 12, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
2. "公益財団法人東京都体育協会加盟競技団体等一覧表" (PDF) (in Japanese). Tokyo. 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
3. 続・アカスリ半田劇場2 [Zoku Akasuri Handa Theater 2]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. July 20, 2014.
4. 16カ国参加スポーツ平和サミット開幕 [World Sports Values Summit for Peace Opens - Participants from 16 Nations]. Daily Sports (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. July 19, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
5. スポーツ平和サミット東京大会が開催-ｽﾎﾟｰﾂの力は無限大 [World Sports Values Summit for Peace in Tokyo is Held – The Power of Sports is Infinite]. PGA News (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Professional Golfers’ Association of Japan. July 19, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
6. "Mpumalanga Black Aces proud of ISPS kit deal". Kick Off. July 31, 2014. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
7. ポールターにマスターズ覇者も! ISPSハンダグローバルカップ記者発表会開催 [ISPS Handa Global Cup of the press conference held]. ALBA (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. July 1, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
8. "ISPS Handa and LET sign new agreement". Golf Monthly. Time Inc. (UK) Ltd. December 1, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
9. "ISPS HANDA becomes title sponsor of World Cup of Golf". PGA European Tour. September 11, 2013.
10. "ISPSハンダがワールドカップのタイトルスポンサーに" [ISPS Handa becomes title sponsor of World Cup of Golf]. ParGolf (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Pargolf & Company. September 11, 2013.
11. "ISPSハンダがワールドカップのタイトルスポンサーに" [ISPS Handa becomes title sponsor of World Cup of Golf]. Golf Digest (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. September 11, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
12. "ISPS HANDA becomes title sponsor of World Cup of Golf 2013". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. September 12, 2013.
13. "続・アカスリ半田劇場3" [Zoku Akasuri Handa Theater 3]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. August 13, 2014.
14. "ISPS Charity Challenge Tournament 2012". JAPAN GOLF TOUR ORGANIZATION. 2012. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
15. "ISPS Charity Challenge Tournament 2013". JAPAN GOLF TOUR ORGANIZATION. 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
16. "MONTHLY JAPAN GOLF TOUR NEWS LETTER" (PDF). JAPAN GOLF TOUR ORGANIZATION. 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
17. "Remarks by H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser United Nations High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations At The World Sports Values Summit for Peace and Development". UNAOC. UNAOC. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
18. "HANDA CUP" (PDF). Japan Professional Bowling Association. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
19. "酒井美紀選手のプロフィール" [Profile of Miki Sakai] (in Japanese). Japan Golf Association. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
20. "中山智選手のプロフィール" [Profile of Satoshi Nakayama] (in Japanese). Japan Golf Association. Retrieved 2015-11-27.

External links

• ISPS Golf