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Jundiaí, 3 July– Yesterday, at the Superior School of Physical Education, just before the Special Olympics Pan-American Tennis Tournament officially began in Jundiaí, Brazil, the South American Tennis Confederation (COSAT) and the Central America and Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC) renewed their cooperation agreement with Special Olympics Latin America. The “We are all tennis” alliance, originally signed in San Salvador, El Salvador, in March 2006, aims to support the social and athletic development of people with intellectual disabilities in Latin America through tennis.
Sergio Elias, COSAT President; Cecilia Ancalmo, Director of COTECC, on behalf of Enrique Molins, President of the organization; Dennis Brueggemann, Regional Director of Special Olympics Latin America; and J. Brady Lum, President and COO, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organization. COSAT, COTECC and Special Olympics confirmed their commitment to the 1,391 Special Olympics Latin America athletes who currently train and compete in tennis and to future athletes throughout the region.
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Special Olympics Latin America Sports Director Christian Guiralt, representing all the participant organizations, said, “We have carefully watched the “We are all tennis” program over the past two years and we have concluded how important our joint work is for tennis players with intellectual disabilities in Latin America.”
“Our teamwork has produced achievements, motivation, hope, opportunities, respect and, above all, equality for all those with intellectual disabilities who decided to break paradigms and show the world that we all can reach our goals, focusing on shared values instead of differences”.
The agreement – now validated until 2011- launched the “We are all tennis” program as a resource to promote tennis among people with intellectual disabilities and to develop their capabilities with more and better training and competition opportunities. It also helps to increase and improve the knowledge and expertise of trainers, technicians and volunteers, encourages research on tennis, and organizes tournaments such as the Pan-American Tennis Tournament.
The inaugural tournament is being held in Brazil from 2 - 6 July. More than 110 athletes from 18 countries will show their tennis skills, and leaders from the worlds of health, sport and politics will participate.
According to Special Olympics, tennis is one of the best sports for athletes’ skills development, requiring good physical condition, constant stimulation, concentration, good reflexes and sound game strategy.
The theme for the Pan-American Tournament — “Be a Fan” — embodies the Special Olympics vision of its 40-year history as well as the values of its athletes: dignity, courage, acceptance and spirit.
This year, the global Special Olympics movement celebrates the innovative and inspirational vision of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who in 1968 introduced the idea of sports as a means to transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and also their communities, creating a world of tolerance and inclusion for everyone.
For further information on the Special Olympics Pan-American Tennis Tournament, visit www.esef.br/panamericano
Contact
Claudia Echeverry
+ (507) 317 0615
cechevrry@specialolympics.org
Raquel Delgado
+ (507) 317 0615
rdelgado@specialolympics.org
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