BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 24th 2011 – A few members of the West Indies team were recently schooled in the intricacies of the game of bocce by a group of Special Olympics athletes who are preparing to compete for St. Kitts and Nevis in the sport at the Special Olympics World Games 2011 in Athens, Greece.
The nine athletes between the ages of 10 and 20 took Windies skipper Darren Sammy, Darren Bravo, Kemar Roach and Devendra Bishoo through their paces by challenging them to an intense bocce competition. Bocce is also known as lawn bowling, a game where players toss balls at a smaller target ball. The Windies players quickly got the hang of the game but were no match for the experienced Special Olympics athletes.
The session is a part of Digicel’s ongoing support of Special Olympics Associations throughout the region, and its efforts to connect cricket with the community at large.
St. Kitts and Nevis was the first beneficiary of Digicel’s Special Olympics funding around the region. That relationship was borne out of an encounter between Digicel Chairman Denis O’Brien and the St. Kitts & Nevis delegation to the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland.
“Mr. O’Brien was the Chairman of those Games, and after meeting our group, he pledged his support for our programme,” explained Sylvester Dore, Special Olympics Coach. “Digicel St. Kitts & Nevis then got involved at his behest and the rest is history. We’ve enjoyed a wonderful partnership with Digicel for over six years and we are grateful for their support, not only financially but also their investment of time and resources, and their genuine care for our athletes and what they do.”
“Digicel’s Chairman is intimately involved with Special Olympics, and is very passionate about supporting these Olympians. As such it was only fitting that Digicel St Kitts & Nevis get involved with the St Kitts Special Olympics Organization. This has quickly become a personal investment for my staff and I,” said Sean Latty, Country Manager for Digicel St. Kitts & Nevis. “After spending time with these amazing athletes, their coaches and parents, we have been inspired ourselves and we at Digicel are privileged to work with these Special Olympians.”
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers.
