NATIONAL 9 (Spotlight Weelky)]

Charitable Contest

A leading hotel organizes a golf tournament and donates the proceeds for the cause of underprivileged children

By A CORRESPONDENT

Although golf was introduced in Nepal several years ago as a game exclusively for expatriates, it has gradually established itself as a favorite sport among Nepalis. The number of local tournaments has been growing over the years. Moreover, Nepalis are dominating many of these tournaments.

Apart from the Surya International Golf Tournament, hotel groups, including Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza, have been organizing tournaments to promote Nepalese golf players and to generate a spirit of healthy competition.

Hyatt Regency's initiative is expected to help to further popularize golf in Nepal and offer foreigners another opportunity to test the golf courses of the country. Over the last few years, the number of golf courses has increased. The Gokarna Golf course enjoys the reputation of being the only one in Nepal that meets international standards.

Nepal won the first Hyatt Regency Kathmandu Nations Cup, which was held at the Gokarna Golf Resort. The tournament is to be held annually from next year. However, Hyatt has gone a significant step further and shown that by organizing such tournaments, it can also contribute to noble causes. The funds collected from the participation fee of Rs.1,500 will go to CWIN, a leading non-government organization that has been working for the welfare of underprivileged children in Nepal.

"The rights of children has been a philanthropic cause very close to Hyatt International and our hotels around the world have been actively raising funds or providing voluntary time toward varying needs of the individual locations," said Martin van Kan, general manager of Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. "In Nepal, a lot of children needs required to be addressed. The right to education is an important step towards building the future of any child," he said.

Nepal I won the tournament, which drew the participation of 16 teams from several countries. In the closest to the pin categories, Tashi Tshering won the competition and Tashi Ghale won the longest drive. C.B. Pradhan Nepal and Joan Sobieniak were declared the best gross in the men's and ladies' events respectively. A team from Denmark and Germany won the award in the best-dressed category.

"Organizing the event for a philanthropic cause gives the tournament adeeper sense of achievement. The enthusiastic response of our participants and all our co-sponsors has added to our commitment," said van Kan, distributing prizes to the winners.

The major objectives of the program include international team participation, diverse competency and good sportsmanship. The organizers have made special efforts to accommodate a large number of participants.

Altogether 72 individuals representing 16 teams took part in the tournament. Gorkha Brewery, Necon Air, Regal Business Link, National Life and General Insurance., Agni Enterprises, Sharp, Himalayan Bank, Singapore Airlines, Adam Smith Institute, Shangri-La Village Pokhara, Chaudhary Group, ICTC, Sambu Constructions, McCann Erickso and Coca-Cola were co-sponsors of the tournament.

The initiative of Hyatt Regency marks a positive step toward highlighting the problems of Nepalese children throughout the world. There are 203 Hyatt Hotels and Resorts around the world, which offers a wide network to advance such vital causes.

Furthermore, Hyatt Regency's endeavor to support the poor and underprivileged children of Nepal can be expected to encourage other organizations and entrepreneurs to help disadvantaged sections of society.