The Bermuda Tourism Authority has unveiled a revised itinerary for the inaugural Bermuda Black Golfers Week Weekend Preview event to be held on Friday and Saturday.

Local football legend Clyde Best and the first edition of the Louis Rafael “Kid” Corbin Golf Tournament have been added to a condensed programme that will connect local and international sponsors, celebrities and influencers with locals and industry stakeholders.

Ocean View Golf Course and Port Royal Golf Course will host the weekend activities aimed at promoting opportunities to drive diversity in sport, increase golf accessibility and celebrate legends in sport.

Best, the former West Ham striker, Carlos, the Olympic medal-winner and lifelong activist, will kick off the weekend with The Legends Lunch at Ocean View on Friday.

Best is one of the first Black players in English football, while Carlos won the bronze medal in the 200 metres at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.

Best was subjected to racist abuse during his professional stint in England, while Carlos’s medal-winning exploits on the track were overshadowed by his and team-mate Tommie Smith’s controversial Black Power salute on the podium during the medal ceremony in protest against racism in the United States.

Hazel Clark, a three-times US Olympian and BTA director of business development, will host an intimate fireside chat with the two icons of sports activism at the Devonshire facility.

“We look forward to welcoming the powerhouse Olympian and civil rights legend to the island, and are excited to have him join my panel alongside Bermuda’s own Clyde Best,” Clark said.

“Their perspectives on driving diversity in sport are highly sought-after, and we are grateful to have him join us. Golf is one of the pillars of Bermuda’s tourism product, and we are delighted to wield our influence to showcase worldwide opportunities to strengthen the sport, expand accessibility and recognise pioneers in the sport’s diversity.”

The weekend will also include private golf lessons for beginners and a Tea on the Tee Happy Hour at Ocean View.

The Louis Rafael “Kid” Corbin Golf Tournament, honouring the Black Bermudian professional who played a role in breaking the colour barrier in golf in the United States and Canada, and is the subject of a documentary and an upcoming book by Jeffrey Sammons, the New York University professor of history, will wrap up the weekend’s activities.

Former Canadian Football League quarterback Damon Allen, world long drive champion golfer Troy Mullins, Grammy award-winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari and award-winning poet and film-maker Terrance Daye are among international guests taking part in the invitational tournament.

“Bermuda continues to establish itself as a leading sports tourism destination, demonstrated by our success hosting world-class sailing, triathlon and golf events,” Charles H. Jeffers II, the BTA chief executive, said.

“The Black Golfers Week Preview comes on the heels of the island’s third PGA Tour event, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

“This preview event builds on our sports tourism expertise, adding a socially conscious layer that will be a first in the world of golf.

“The timing is right, and Bermuda’s rich Black golf legacy positions us to deliver major, long-lasting impact for the sport.”

Carlos was originally scheduled to host the Driving Diversity Power Breakfast at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club on November 3 while plans to hold the PGA Magazine Driving Diversity Summit, the Unity Cup, University Greek barbecue, Bermuda Black Golf Club and Team Championship at Port Royal and the Black Golf Awards honouring the legacy of Black golf pioneers from around the globe have been scrapped.

• For more details visit www.BermudaDrivingDiversity.com