The road to the Special Olympics for the local contingent became a lot smoother thanks to Digicel.
During a simple ceremony yesterday at the National Resource Centre, representatives of the telecommunications provider pledged timely support for the outfit which will head to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for the March 14-21 event.
“Digicel is pleased to be associated with the Special Olympics Association” said Louanna Abrams, Sponsorship Manager at Digicel. “Throughout our various territories we have a strong relationship with the association and that is something we want to maintain.”
Abrams added “We have no doubt they will perform well and we take this opportunity to wish them well in the preparation for the Games”.
While not disclosing the exact amount, it was stated, the sponsorship was quite significant. Wilton Spencer, head of Guyanese contingent, indicated that despite the support from the entity and others, they are still about $2M short of their budget. Spencer then encouraged others to support the team and disclosed that he can be contacted on telephone number 623-4673.
Meanwhile, Coach of the four athletes, Mark Scott told the media, the team is fully prepared for the task at hand since they have been training for the past nine months.
Calvin Thomas, one of the four athletes will be returning to the event. At the last staging of the Special Olympics held in the United States four years ago, he earned gold in the 5000M Division 6 Event and won a silver medal in the 3000M, Division 5 event.
The other team members are Faith King, Abdool Brathwaite and Dacia George. The trio competes in the 200M, 400M and 4x400M relay.
Notes: The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games is a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities in the tradition of the Special Olympics movement. This will be the first time that the Special Olympics will be held in the Middle East / North Africa Region. Due to the region’s climate, the games will be held during the local late winter/early spring.
