Future secured for Disabled Open

The future of the Disabled British Open has been secured as Tourism South East has revealed it has set up a company to run, manage and grow both the Disabled British Open and the Junior Disabled British Open.

The new body, Remarkable Events, will take over from Accentuate – a Legacy Trust-funded body – which has looked after golf’s largest pan-disability tournament since its inception and inaugural outing in 2009, but was mainly focused on leaving a 2012 Olympics Games legacy.

The new company is a joint venture between Tourism South East (TSE), the creator of the Disabled British Open, and private company Azalea, and will drive the tournaments forward in the years beyond 2012.

The event, which offers opportunities to showcase the talents of deaf and disabled people, has been televised on Sky Sports each year and international participation is increasing – this year saw the first US competitor, Jason Faircloth, from Clinton, North Carolina.

Esther Fox, programme director of Accentuate, said: “The Disabled British Open has been a wonderful example of an Accentuate project, as it represents much of what we hope to achieve.

“It raises the profile of disabled people at international level by promoting talent and professionalism. Accentuate is funded by Legacy Trust and we hope to create a lasting legacy from the 2012 Games, therefore we are delighted to hear that there is a future for this fantastic event and we will certainly do all we can to support it.”