The event kicked off on Wednesday with celebrities looking to claim the €100,000 prize, which they plan to donate to charity. (Cedrick Nicette, Seychelles News Agency)
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A group of 10 international sports, media and entertainment celebrities will battle it out in the Celebrity Golf Series Grand Final, which takes place alongside the MCB Tour in Praslin. Constance Lemuria Seychelles golf course.
The event kicked off on Wednesday with celebrities looking to claim the €100,000 prize, which they plan to donate to charity.
At the launch of the parallel event at the Lemuria Resort on Tuesday, local media were introduced to the stars.
The group includes two Chelsea football club legends, Italian Gianfranco Zola, former manager of English Premier League side West Ham, along with his compatriot Roberto Di Matteo, who won Chelsea’s first UEFA Champions League trophy as a manager in 2012 .
Among the celebrities is a former member of the Irish boy band, Boyzone, Keith Duffy, who is now an actor and singer in the duo Boyzlife. Duffy is the winner of the inaugural tournament, held in Mauritius. He beat sporting legends such as Paul Lawrie, Gavin Hastings, Gordon Strachan and Teddy Sheringham.
Duffy, the defending tournament champion, told reporters that being a non-athlete has some advantages, as he won’t feel the same pressure to win as ex-athletes, who are very competitive.
“I will be playing for a charity that was set up for autistic children as I have a daughter with the condition myself and so we want to make sure they have all the help they need to live a normal life. life as much as possible,” he explained.
Despite Duffy being the defending champion, most participants believe Gianfranco Zola is the favorite to win due to his low handicap score.
“Everybody’s already won just by being and competing for their charities, but in saying that, of course, being competitive, I’m going to try to win,” said Zola, who will put his potential earnings into multiple sclerosis research. in a center in Milan.
Other celebrities taking part in the tournament include former English Formula 1 racing driver Damon Hill, Liverpool FC legend Robbie Fowler, retired Irish football goalkeeper Patrick Bonner, Austrian Franz Klammer, former alpine skiing champion, former premiership cricketer class of South Africa Barry Richards and another former cricketer Andrew Strauss. Joining the group is Georgie Bingham, a British radio and television presenter.
Bingham is the only lady competing in the tournament and, like Duffy, is not a former professional athlete.
“I think I have a bit of an advantage as a woman because the course is quite short. But you can never underestimate ex-athletes because they never lose their competitiveness and will always want to win,” she said.
With all the celebrities playing for charity, Bingham said he was targeting support for families with members suffering from cancer, as well as support for end-of-life patients.
Other celebrity tour activities will be a football fiesta at the Praslin Amitie Stadium as part of the community activities. The event, a joint effort with the Seychelles Football Federation and the National Sports Council, will take place on December 2 and will include a children’s clinic and a friendly match.
Four of the celebrity guests who were former footballers will attend the event to engage with Seychello’s young athletes.
There will also be an Autism Focus Day Event featuring Mauritius Commercial Bank (MBC), Keith Duffy and Damon Hill. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness about autism and how it affects people with the condition and their loved ones.
The event will be held at the Autism Association Center in North East Point on Mahe, the main island.
The Celebrity Tour runs alongside the MCB Tour Championship, featuring former major champions Michael Campbell, Tom Lehman, Paul Lawrie, 2019 winner Peter Fowler and 2018 winner Roger Chapman.