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Soccer

Haiti to Compete at 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games

Thursday, 23 June 2011 15:18

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ATHENS, Greece - 6 Haitian athletes will compete, from June 25 to July 4, alongside of 7,500 athletes from 185 countries, at the world game of "Special Olympics" competition in Athens, the largest gathering in the world dedicated to athletes with intellectual disabilities.

"Our six young athletes have been preparing for six months for this appointment. We formed this team in January. We do not expect medals, but we believe that our participation is a victory for our country. However, I must report that we have played several friendlies against teams who have no problem no disabilities and we have always been winners, "said Chery Milien, head of the Haitian delegation.

Haitian delegation:

Peterson, Ulysses Charles Moses, Paolo Lorensky Hercules Macéan Gideon, Peter and Wooldy Jamesley Philippe Poulard, Chery Milien, head of the Haitian delegation.

"This is the second participation of Haiti in the World Games, but this is the first time we have representatives in football. Thank you to parents who agreed to entrust us with their children for this great adventure. I can not find the words to thank Digicel has contributed greatly to this movement, "reported Jean Chevalier Sanon, National Director of Special Olympics Committee of Haiti. Mr. Sanon has insisted that our young footballers are athletes in their own right, who are looking forward to realize this dream of a child in Greece.

He took this occasion to appeal to the Government Martelly, so as not to overlook people with disabilities because they are an integral part of society and can contribute to its development. "The construction of sports facilities must be accessible to these people," he said.

Special Olympics

The summer games in Athens, Greece, will draw 7,000 athletes from more than 170 countries around the world, 3,000 coaches and officials, 25.000 volunteers, 40,000 family members, thousands of spectators, as well as hundreds of journalists who will document the efforts and achievements of the athletes.

The World Games are organized every four years from the Winter Games and Summer Games. Since 2005, through the movement FIFA "Football for Hope" actively supports "Special Olympics", the largest international sports program for people with mental disabilities. This association was created in the United States in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, (sister of John F. Kennedy), and operates in over 170 countries.