RYODEN International Limited's determination to hand back something to the sports which have been an integral part of its business strategy has provided a sponsorship boon for many in the territory.
'Certainly it is true that sponsorship does provide corporate exposure,' executive director David Ang said. 'But that is not our prime motivation.
'It has always been one of our corporate objectives to support and promote local sports and sportspeople. That is something which has been in place since the beginning.' That support has been forthcoming in the form of sponsorship for teams and events from widely varied fields through Ryoden's wholly owned subsidiary Ryoden Sports Limited - always in the name of one of Ryoden's product lines such as Titleist or Honma rather than in the corporate name.
In announcing the sponsorship of the Titleist Hong Kong International Team (amateur) for last year - the fifth successive year in which the company has done so - Herman Hu, the managing director of Ryoden Sports and executive director of the group's mother company, Ryoden (Holdings), expressed the group's commitment to fostering golf in Hong Kong.
'Unlike some other countries, there is not much support from the Government,' Mr Hu said. 'Amateur players have to find their own way of financing golf.
'On behalf of Titleist, I am proud to contribute our greatest support in sponsoring the Hong Kong team since 1991, and other golf events like 'Titleist Inter-Club League' [since 1991] and the 'Honma Ladies Amateur Championships of Hong Kong'.' The revival of the ladies amateur event after eight years on the sidelines was a particularly pointed example of what advantages sponsorship could bring to events which may not always attract sponsorship.
Apart from golf, Ryoden has been heavily involved in tennis in the territory over the past five years and last year continued to support the Ling Hau Cup for inter-provincial junior tennis as well as the prestigious HP International Diving Competition.