Special Olympians get special send-off
TELECOMMUNICATION GIANTS Digicel handed over $4.2 million to Jamaica’s Special Olympics team that will depart on Monday for the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria from March 14 to 25.
Digicel were among several sponsors who had a meet and greet session with the athletes yesterday at the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) offices in St Andrew.
Other sponsorship came from Sports Development Foundation ($2 million); Melbourne Cricket Club ($500,000); Jamdammers ($320,000); Unicef; Puma; US Embassy and Spanish Embassy.
Special Olympics Jamaica executive director, Lorna Bell praised the sponsors for making it possible for the athletes to represent Jamaica at another world games.
“We could not do it without our partners, some of which have been with us for 13 years. Unicef is a global partner of the movement and represented by Mark Connolly,” Bell said.
‘The athletes have been in training for the past two years, and I am expecting them to perform at their best. We will have representatives in floor hockey and speed skating. The speed skating team was in a one-week camp in Florida and we are expecting a medal from Romaine Austin,” she shared.
The officials include: Glendon West, head of delegation; Pat Lue Chin, assistant head of delegation and team doctor; Jacqueline Bennett, coach of the roller skating team; and Donna Goldson and Richard Oates, coaches of the floor hockey team.
Floor Hockey team - Dwight Brooks, David Clarke, Shequan Collins, Oshane Daley, Lamoy Givons, Vontroy Harrison, Renardo Howell, Lucan Jones, Omari Lobban, Sidney Manyan, Brandon Mattis, Ajornie Simpson, Andrew Thompson, David Thompson, Shamar Waite and Robert Weetom.
Roller skating - Romaine Austin and Dave Oddman.