The Government of South Sudan and the South Sudan Boxing Federation Announce Strategic Relationship with Superagent Leland Hardy for The Development of The Country’s Golf Infrastructure and Youth Golf Talent

 

For Immediate Release:

New York, NY  August 9, 2023
Contact: Kevin Hall – Strivers Row Media, Inc.
MediaAlerts@StriversRowMedia.com
NY: (917) 912-0603
LA: (323) 816-3790

August 9, 2023 – New York, NY and Juba, South Sudan /Strivers Row Media/:  
Who: South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, South Sudan Boxing Federation President Tereza Athian Abdelgabi, Leland Hardy
What: Development of South Sudan golf infrastructure and the creation of world golf champions among South Sudanese youth 
When: Now
Where:  Worldwide
Why: Untapped natural and human resources of South Sudan poised for development on the world stage

Tereza Athian Abdelgabi recently became the first female President of the South Sudan Boxing Federation.  Under her visionary leadership she has sought to create linkages with boxing and sports leaders around the world to elevate not just the sport of boxing in her native South Sudan, but all sports in the country, chief among which is golf.   “I am a proponent of using excellence in individual sports as a catalyst for the upliftment of our whole country,” stated Ms. Abdelgabi, the Founding President of the South Sudan Boxing Federation.  “With the tectonic shift created in the world of golf by our forward thinking ‘next door neighbor’ brethren in Saudi Arabia who are connected to us not just by land mass, but also by our shared language, culture, and values, we are inspired to become world leaders in the sport of golf in keeping with Saudi Arabia’s, his Royal Highness Mohamad Bin Salman’s, and His Excellency Yasir Rothman Al-Ramayyan’s Vision 2030 call for dramatically increased interconnectedness with the continent of Africa,” stated President Mayardit.  “The United Nations Agenda 2030 and Golf Course 2030 initiatives for sustainable golf course development (https://doi.org/10.1002/its2.38 ) are completely aligned with His Royal Highness Mohamad Bin Salman’s Vison 2030 (https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/v2030/overview/) and Saudi Green Initiative pronouncements.  We aim to march in lock step with our Saudi brethren on matters of sustainable golf course development and the upliftment of society through sports,” continued President Mayardit.

   

The country of South Sudan conducted a global search for a sports and business expert who could serve as the country’s Chief Advisor and Consultant in advancing its sports and economic ambitions.   Leland Hardy of the United States was selected.  Mr. Hardy has been called arguably the greatest identifier and developer of youth sports talent ever.  Some thirty-five years ago when she was only 6 years old, Hardy predicted that one of his charges, Serena Williams, would eventually become the greatest tennis player of all time.   A recent article in Paris’ biggest magazine, L’Equipe, detailed his having been the architect of and the brains behind the Williams Sisters phenomenon since inception: https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Article/-serena-williams-est-devenue-plus-grande-que-le-tennis-raconte-son-ancien-conseiller-en-affaires/1351546  Hardy was Venus’ and Serena’s Family Business Advisor for 15 years from the time the girls were 6 and 7 years old, respectively, and he executive produced the first ever film on the Williams Sisters, “Raising Tennis Aces – The Williams Story”

 (see: https://bit.ly/RaisingTennisAcesCastIMDB).  Hardy wrote and directed the girls’ early TV commercials and single-handedly orchestrated Serena Williams’ landmark eight figure all cash endorsement deal to resurrect the then dormant PUMA brand before she ever turned professional.

 

“For more than a decade I had the distinct pleasure and privilege to represent and work with South Sudanese NBA legend, Manute Bol, so few know better than I what tremendous athletic talent lies largely untapped in South Sudan,” stated Hardy.  “I am blessed and honored to have been selected by the Government of South Sudan to help them maximize their potential by creating a veritable army of young golfers who will become leading figures on the world’s preeminent professional golf tours just a scant few years from now,” Hardy continued enthusiastically.

At present, South Sudan does not boast even a single golf course, though the country’s nearly 250,000 square miles of land area – almost the size of the State of Texas – presents numerous areas that are ideal loci for golf course development.  “One of the first orders of business will be identifying suitable venues for golf course development in South Sudan and, in the meantime, we will spark unprecedented interest in the sport of golf by South Sudanese citizens, much like the absolute golf mania that overtook South Korea in the wake of Se-ri Pak’s winning of two Major Championships in her rookie season when she was but one of a single digit few South Korean golfers on the LPGA Tour,” said Hardy.

                                                                                                                         About Leland Hardy

 

Before Muhammad Ali petitioned the Wharton School for Hardy to be granted a leave of absence so that he could serve as Ali’s Official Chinese Translator and Interpreter for his famous 1985 goodwill trip to China, Hardy reigned as the Pennsylvania State Heavyweight Champion.  He was the youngest ever Distinguished Alumnus in Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s history, and he attended both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

 

Hardy would go on to enjoy a Hall of Fame worthy career fighting out of Madison Square Garden, first as “The Fighting Stockbroker” and later as “The Hedge Fund Heavyweight.”  He spent some thirty years as one of Ali’s closest friends and advisors until the time of his death.  Because of Ali’s influence, Hardy is the only man in history to have boxed professionally AFTER earning an MBA from Wharton and a  Master’s Degree in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies MBA/MA dual degree program where he was the first ever African-American Fellow and was its youngest ever Fellow. (see: http://bit.ly/HardyTrueInsideStory).

Hardy is a Principal of the alternative asset fractional ownership hedge fund, XChange Place Capital (www.XChangePlace.io and https://bit.ly/XChangePlaceIntroVideoForPDF).   He is a former certified NBA Player Agent and certified NFL Player Agent who created and launched B.I.C.E.P.S. – The Business Institute for Continuing Education in Professional Sports – at the Wharton School.  B.I.C.E.P.S. is the basis of the Official Business Education Program of the NFL and NFLPA as taught at Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, and Wharton. (see: http://bit.ly/LelandHardyBICEPS)

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