Those players looking forward to a Caribbean vacation to the Bahamas to rub elbows with some of the biggest stars of the poker and sports world at the upcoming Sports Legends Challenge were let down when they received an e-mail from the event’s organizers informing them it was being postponed. No alternative date has been set, but the organizers plan on hosting the event at a new, yet to be determined U.S. location sometime in 2010.
Originally scheduled to take place from September 14th-17th at the Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, the Sports Legends Challenge intended to bring together big names from the poker and sports spheres for a few days of golfing, gambling and other antics. Those interested in joining the celebs for the festivities could buy-in to the event for $10,000 and take a stab at their share of $10 million in cash and prizes. Some of the big names in poker expected to attend were Ultimate Bet Pro Annie Duke, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Full Tilt Poker Pro Gavin Smith, PartyPoker spokesperson Mike Sexton and Johnny Chan. A number of major sports stars were also expected to be on hand, including Tony Hawk, Troy Aikman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Randy Couture and Herschel Walker.
The four day event was supposed to feature contests of blackjack, golf, slots and poker, including the PokerNews-sponsored Sports Legends All-Star Poker Challenge which was going to be taped and broadcast on the Fox Sports networks. Online poker site Absolute Poker was running a number of satellites into the event, offering its users the chance to cash in their frequent player points for a chance to win their way into the Challenge.
The e-mail from Sports Legends Challenge organizers Bruce Bibbero and Larry Lubin hit the registered players’ inboxes on September 1st and informed them the event was being both rescheduled and relocated to a new site somewhere within the United States. The e-mail cited the difficulty of travelling abroad and the less than stellar weather of the Bahamas in September as the major factors behind the decision to postpone the event.
“The essence of the program will be unchanged – creating unique opportunities for sports and gaming fans to interact with some of the greatest Sports Legends of our time along with some of the world’s top poker pros while competing for major cash prizes,” wrote Bibbero and Lubin. “However, we plan to use the time leading up to the rescheduled event to add elements and make adjustments that will make it even more exciting.”
The e-mail concluded by assuring those involved that they would receive details about the new time and place for the event in the next few days. On September 3rd the Sports Legends Challenge’s official website posted a press release stating it would be another few weeks before details of the new event could be finalized. The organizers also promised to tinker with the event’s format and determine a specified guaranteed prize pool. Details on exactly how the money would be distributed for the original Bahamas event were never disclosed, which resulted in a lot of criticism from members of the poker community.
“In addition to the logistical changes, it is also an opportunity to respond to specific input from the poker world,” Lubin said in Sports Legends Challenge’s latest statement. “In discussions with players and Poker Pros around the world, it became clear that adding a guaranteed prize pool will be a major step forward.”
The press release concluded by informing those who registered for the Bahamas event would have their buy-in honored at the revamped Sports Legend Challenge, but made no mention of whether or not they would issue any refunds for players who no longer wished to participate. It is also unclear whether or not all of the sports and poker stars scheduled to participate in the event will still be taking part in the project.