KUWAIT CITY, Jan 17: The Radisson SAS Hotel, in cooperation with the Sahara Golf Club, held the first Charity Golf Tournament in Kuwait on Saturday under the auspices of Radisson SAS General Manager Jan Petter Eilertsen, who promised to organize similar sports events in the near future. The participants of the tournament were divided into 16 groups that competed last week in the Sahara Golf Court. Four groups reached the finals with very close scores. The final game took place Saturday with Bob Riendeau winning the first place followed by R. Rillardi in second place, J. Batchler in third place, and M. Willet in fourth place. Speaking to the Arab Times, Eilertsen expressed his happiness over the fantastic response of the Golf Club members to this event, which is aimed at raising money for the World Childhood Organization founded by Queen Silvia of Sweden.

“The success of this event has exceeded our expectations, especially the number of people playing Golf in Kuwait. I believe it’s a sport that is actually booming and hopefully more similar events will come about in the future,” said Eilertsen. “The Radisson SAS and Sahara are the main sponsors and initiators of this event. I would like to express my gratitude to those who greatly contributed to the success of the tournament as we were able to raise a huge sum of money,” stated Eilertsen. The Belgian Ambassador to Kuwait and a large number of high-ranking officials, general managers, and CEOs of prominent companies in Kuwait also participated in the event. “This is the first time we are doing something like this in Kuwait. With this success and the enthusiastic participation of prominent individuals in the country, we will continue holding similar events through out the year,” Eilertsen said.

Eilertsen clarified the event is part of the ‘Responsible Business’ program of Radisson SAS, which takes into consideration the global environment, planning and implementing social issues, environmental issues, and fund raising events for a good cause. “One of our major upcoming events is the planting of trees and flowers in certain areas in Kuwait,” he added. After lunch, Eilertsen presented awards to the participants, including the tournament winners, in addition to a raffle draw for the audience. All the awards were presented and sponsored by Radisson SAS Hotel.

By Rena Sadeghi
Arab Times Staff