Sport is very powerful in many ways and nothing embodies this more than the Olympic Games in which the spirit of competition unites the whole world for approximately two weeks! For ISPS Handa, Inspiration through the Power of Sport, their goal is to use the game of golf for the same purpose! As stated on their website, “sport has a unique ability to create hope, to break down educational and cultural barriers and to inspire people in a way that very little else does. Sport brings people together and unites communities around the world.”
Approximately 25 years ago, ISPS Handa was founded by Dr. Haruhisa Handa when he was inspired by a blind man who played great golf, living life as a very happy person and enjoying his life fully! In 1988, Dr. Handa established the Japanese Blind Golf Association and ten years later, he was also the main driving force behind the formation of the International Blind Golf Association (IBGA)! More recently, Dr. Handa has decided that the goal of ISPS Handa is something that everyone should support and through partnerships with golf governing bodies worldwide, ISPS Handa aims to develop the game at every level and promote blind and disabled golf! With golf being in the Summer Olympics in 2016, perhaps we’ll see golf in the Para-Olympic games as well! Regardless, the work of Dr. Handa and ISPS Handa is certainly an inspiration!
Source: CNN Living Golf, ISPS
