2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games-Lunch and cash reward for special athletes |29 December 2007

Organised by the Cable & Wireless Seychelles Foundation, the lunch was attended by the Minister for Community Development, Youth, Sports and Culture Vincent Meriton, Youth, Sports and Culture principal secretary Denis Rose, Social Development principal secretary Anne Lafortune, National Sports Council’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alain Volcère, Cable & Wireless’ CEO Charles Hammond, the Special Olympians, their coaches, executive members of Special Olympic Seychelles (SOS) and members of the Cable & Wireless Seychelles Foundation.

Minister Meriton congratulated all the athletes for making us all proud and added that there is a need for Special Olympic Seychelles to work in close partnership with the NSC.

After thanking all those who worked tirelessly to help the athletes attain their objectives at the Games, the minister noted that his ministry should strengthen the ties it has with Cable & Wireless and Barclays Bank who are doing a lot within the different communities in Seychelles.

He added that he hopes other businesses and companies will follow suit by bringing their support to the community.
Addressing those present, Cable & Wireless CEO Hammond said that “Christmas is about goodwill, a time for giving and loving.”
He added that he was delighted that the Cable & Wireless Seychelles Foundation has chosen to work with Special Olympic Seychelles who has top performers requiring a lot of support.

“Today, I am honoured that the foundation has once again supported the Special Olympic Seychelles. Recently a group of special athletes participated in the Special Olympics Summer Games and they had our flag fly high up on six occasions. Doesn’t that make you proud? At Cable & Wireless we are,” said CEO Hammond.

For her part, Special Olympic Seychelles chairperson Annette Domingue, who headed the Seychelles delegation in Shanghai, said that when one becomes a volunteer with the Special Olympics, he/she becomes a volunteer for life and likewise for a sponsor.

She said this because Cable & Wireless made a R20,000 donation towards Special Olympic Seychelles and it was Mrs Lafortune who accepted the cheque from Mr Hammond.

The telecommunication company also gave out R1,500 and a small token to each of the six athletes who participated in the Special Olympics Summer Games in Shanghai and Mrs Domingue added that “this is the beginning of a new era for Special Olympic Seychelles because it is the first time Special Olympians receive cash rewards. We appreciate Cable & Wireless’ gesture.”

Besides the athletes receiving gifts, small tokens were also presented to Minister Meriton, Mr Rose, Mrs Lafortune and Mr Volcère.

Having for slogan “A helping hand for a stronger community”, the Cable & Wireless Seychelles Foundation, launched in 2005 by Finance Minister Danny Faure, has so far assisted a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), orphanages and schools.
The three key objectives of the Cable & Wireless Seychelles Foundation are:

 1. To establish and build partnership with charitable and community organisations focusing on groups with special needs;
2. To actively contribute in the strengthening of communities in which we live and work;

3.  To enhance the Cable & Wireless brand by promoting its role as a responsible corporate citizen.
It is to note that the triumphant Seychelles team of disabled athletes claimed six gold medals and six ribbons in just one sport – track and field athletics – they participated in.

The Seychellois gold medallists are Diguois Steven Ernesta (400m M12 race in 58.05 seconds and 800m M09 race in 2:28.25), Medine Olivia (50m M11 race in 10.71 seconds), Rosie Corallie (200m F22 race in 35.86 seconds), Diana Valentin (shot putt throw F15 with 3.46m) and Lorna Lespoir (400m F14 race in 1:25.05).

Joel Julie, 26, is the only local athlete who failed to win a medal at these Games. He missed out on a podium finish in the 200m (M16) with a time of 27.04 seconds for fourth place and finished seventh in the 100m race (M23) in 13.30 seconds.

A total of 21 medal sports and four demonstrating events featured in the 10-day 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games which attracted 7,450 athletes from 164 countries and regions, a record in the 39-year history of the games.

It is worth noting that the Special Olympics is for the intellectually challenged persons and it has as its motto: ‘let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempts’.

G. G.