A TEAM of 29 athletes and officials will represent Trinidad and Tobago at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany from June 17 to 25.
The announcement was made at the closing ceremony of The Special Olympics TT (SOTT) National Games on May 27 at St Mary’s College Grounds in St Clair.
Hundreds of athletes and supporters gathered for the National Games closing ceremony which included the final leg of the Olympic Torch Relay.
A media release on Tuesday by the Digicel Foundation, a sponsor of the SOTT, said, “Loud cheers, applause and tears of joy followed the Flame of Hope along the final leg of the Olympic Torch Relay that commenced Saturday’s closing ceremony. For many, this marked an important moment of restoration after the pandemic’s two-year pause on the games. The flame was first lit two weeks ago during the National Games Opening Ceremony and was then carried around the country to the games by the TT Law Enforcement Torch Runners (LETR), led by police sergeant Seemungal and fire officer Leon Hazzard.”
[caption id="attachment_1019918" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Athlete Melissa Nanan, left, and Desha Clifford, Chairperson of the Digicel TT Foundation, light the cauldron at the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics National Games.-[/caption]
At the closing ceremony, many people took part in the final leg of the relay including chairperson of Digicel TT Foundation Desha Clifford, athlete Melissa Nanan, Hazzard and members of the TT LETR. They made a lap around the ground before lighting the cauldron.
The final day of the Special Olympics National Games included football at St Mary’s Ground and aquatics at the Diego Martin Swimming Pool. The closing ceremony ended the day’s activities on a jubilant note with a concert featuring performances from local gospel artistes Samantha Johnson and evangelist Melissa Precious Brown; saxophonist Curtis Brisbane; singer Melly Rose; the reigning Calypso Monarch for 2023 Ta’Zyah O’Connor and the chutney singer Nishard M.
For over a decade, the Digicel Foundation has been the corporate sponsor and partner of the SOTT, championing the causes of those with special needs in TT. This year, Digicel and the Digicel Foundation have invested a total of $330,000 towards the SOTT National Games, the SOTT delegation’s travel to the World Games in Berlin and the year-round operations of the SOTT secretariat at Manny Ramjohn Stadium.
[caption id="attachment_1019917" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SOTT athletes compete in the National Games on May 27 at St Mary’s College Grounds in St Clair. -[/caption]
TT Special Olympics Team
Officials
Major David Benjamin (head of delegation), Clayton William, (assistant head of delegation), Dr Maia Blackman (medical staff), Candace Young (assistant staff media)
Athletes
Nathan Mc Clean (athletics), Cadell Cuffy (athletics), D’Andre Mc Guirk, (athletics), Tershana Tempro, (athletics), La Toya Charles (athletics), Melissa Nanan (athletics), Aaron Ben Ali (equestrian), Nathaniel Lewis (equestrian), Omari Pa
