Island Kicks Off a Series of World Class International Events from Now through June

Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Bruce Smith

St. Kitts (April 20, 2010) – From April 21 – 25, 2010, St. Kitts will be hosting several renowned athletes at the 5th Annual Legends Golf Classic, the first of several world class international events scheduled to take place on island between now and June this year.

This five-day event will feature two days of golf with celebrity players, local dignitaries and visiting golf enthusiasts at the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club, one of the Caribbean’s top-rated championship courses.

The star-studded tournament will presented by Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Bruce Smith, who is also the holder of the career record for quarterback sacks, and former Major League Baseball pitcher and 1989 World Series MVP David Stewart, both of whom will tee off in the competition alongside other sports greats. In addition to the golf tournament, the event will include a Texas Hold’em Tournament of the Stars at the Royal Beach Casino, a silent auction with all proceeds to be donated to charity organization Operation Smile and festivities such as the awards dinner and beach bash.

After last year’s event, Bruce Smith complimented St. Kitts, saying, “I love coming down here. The people are genuine, friendly and accommodating, and the island is beautiful, of course. Once we get guys down here, they are hooked – they love the island, they love the food, they love the people.”

“Sports tourism is a steadily growing niche market for us,” commented Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism and International Transport. “This event is the perfect example of the types of world-class experiences we are attracting from golf and cricket to music and cuisine. This is particularly useful to address the seasonality of the leisure market, when we can support our local businesses and tourism stakeholders through the non-leisure segments of sports and events.”

The action continues on St. Kitts from May 2-11, 2010, when the island welcomes the top eight women’s cricket teams in the world and their fans for the women’s First Round matches of the ICC World Twenty20 tournaments with The England team defending their World Champion title. Then, two exciting back-to-back events take place over a nine-day period that brings the international stars of cricket and music to St. Kitts. From June 18 – 22, the West Indies clash with South Africa in a highly anticipated cricket Test Match. Finally, top international and local music artists take the stage from June 24-26 at the 14th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which features an eclectic mix of musical genres and a distinctive block-party-style.