Football team to participate in Special Olympics World Summer Games

Special Olympics Belize athletes are known to bring back the medals from international games. This year a football team from Special Olympics will be competing in the World Summer Games in June. The athletes are heading all the way to Greece, so the organization has been struggling to find the funds to pay for travel and accommodations among other expenses. But today the Princess Group of Companies significantly eased their financial burden with a generous donation of ten thousand dollars. And News Five was on hand for the brief handing over at the Princess Hotel and Casino this morning.

Alan Auil, Chairman, Special Olympics Belize

Alan Auil

“We have been working on a five aside football team for the past three years and this year is a world Summer Games year for Special Olympics. In the past we’ve always attended with a small contingent of Track and Field athletes but this year we want to send a football team and it’s going to be all the way in Greece in Athens and so you can imagine the cost of air travel to get there. It’s going to be quite expensive. So this money that we received from the Princess Group is going to go toward the travel expenses.”

Necip Karayusuf

Necip Karayusuf, Executive General Coordinator

“We always like to help the children. Our group always did that. We help the orphans, we help the children and our hope is that the other companies will do the same. This is our hope. So what I think, the children of Belize are the future of Belize so people have to realize that and help them. And the purity when people are disadvantaged, this is our big goal that we’d like to help them very urgently.”

Delahnie Bain

“Are you all lobbying with other business for additional financial assistance?”

Alan Auil

“We are, certainly we are talking to a lot. We have already received some contributions from a few companies. I can name Sol, who operates the Shell line of gas stations in the country, BTL and Belize Water Services. Those companies have already contributed sizeable amounts toward the trips. We still need a lot more and we are in contact with several other firms.”

According to Auil, they are also in discussions with the Princess Hotel and Casino about hosting a bowling night to raise additional funds. And while the trip is about two months away, Auil urges perspective donors to come forward as early as possible because the flights need to be booked in advance.