A Special Olympics Celebration: 2003 Final Leg Torch Run Across Europe Paris' most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower, looms in the background as the Final Leg team makes its way through the City of Light. [Photo by Herb Gelb, courtesy of CARQUEST] • Meet the members of the 2003 Final Leg Running Team • View map of routes through Europe • View scheduled Final Leg Events Every two years, law enforcement officers from around the world gather to carry the "Flame of Hope" in a Law Enforcement Torch Run® Final Leg in honor of the Special Olympics World Summer or World Winter Games. In 2003 the Torch Run Final Leg for the Special Olympics World Summer Games covered more than 15,000 km (9,000 miles) in Europe, the most ambitious Torch Run organized in the region and the largest event in Torch Run history, covering 19 countries throughout Europe, attracting 250,000 spectators. < Read reports on the 2003 Final Leg across Europe — this link will take you to the Global News Archive section of our Web site > On 4 June 2003 the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" was lit in a ceremony in Athens, Greece. On the following day, 93 international law enforcement officers and 10 Special Olympics athletes began the Final Leg run, carrying the Flame along three routes across Europe.     < Read Sgt. Sal Gerbino's reminiscence of his "extraordinary three-week journey...carrying the Flame of Hope." > Chairman of the XI Special Olympics World Summer Games Ireland 2003, Denis O'Brien, receives the torch from the High Priestess Evangelia Panopoulou during the ceremony of the Lighting of the Flame of Hope, in Athens, Greece. [Photo by Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE *EDI*] "It is truly fitting that during The European Year of People with Disabilities in 2003, the Special Olympics 'Flame of Hope' should be part of celebrations in more than 15 European cities, as well as being a catalyst for a week of events in Ireland building up to the Opening Ceremonies for the World Games in Dublin," said Michael Smith, Managing Director, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. "Our hope is that these celebrations will serve to highlight the voices of individuals with mental handicaps and leave a legacy of greater understanding, opportunity and achievement," Smith said. More than 15 of Europe's most beautiful cities opened their doors to welcome the "Flame of Hope" and the Torch Runners while playing tribute to the Special Olympics athletes from their community who will be competing in the World Games. Several heads of state were among those welcoming the "Flame of Hope" while community runs, public concerts, receptions and sporting events took place in each of the locales. Sponsors for the 2003 Final Leg Torch Run Across Europe were FedEx and the Fraternal Order of Police. The Fraternal Order of Police is the world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 308,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges; FedEx Corp. is a premier global provider of transportation, logistics, e-commerce and supply-chain management services The Flame was carried along the following routes: Route 1 — Madrid (5 June 2003), Gibraltar (5 June), Nice (6 June), Monaco (6 June), Milan (7 June), Lausanne (8 June), Paris (9 June) Route 2 — Helsinki (5 June 2003), Riga (6 June), Warsaw (7 June), Hamburg (8 June), The Hague (10 June) Route 3 — Istanbul (5 June 2003), Budapest (6 June), Vienna (7 June), Prague (8 June) The Torch Runners converged in Brussels on 10 June 2003, continued on to London on 11 June and arrived in Belfast on 12 June. eircom, a sponsor of Special Olympics in Ireland since 1985, is the designated sponsor of the Torch Run's Final Leg through Ireland 12–19 June. Ireland's leading communications company provides a comprehensive range of advanced voice, data and Internet services. The Flame arrived in Bangor, Co. Down on 13 June, where the team was joined by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Síochána, who carried the torch throughout Ireland. The Final Leg team stopped in over 130 communities across Ireland where ceremonies and special events took place. Local people were able to join the run as it made its way through their community. In keeping with Final Leg tradition, the Final Leg team carried the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" to Croke Park on 21 June for the Opening Ceremonies of 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. The Torch was then handed over to 16-year old David McCauley, a Special Olympics Ireland athlete who lit the cauldron, marking the opening of the Games. International public relations agency Fleishman-Hillard was the Communications Partner for the project and provided event organizing committees in each host city with support with their media activities. The 2003 Torch Run Final Leg Team Law Enforcement Runners:      USA      Ireland      Canada      International Running Team Leaders Support Team:      Irish Members      Members Documentation Team Captain Michael R. Teem of the Raleigh, North Carolina (USA), Police Department was the Final Leg Committee Chairman and Team Captain. He headed a group of 93 law enforcement officers, 10 Special Olympics athletes, and support members that made up the 2003 Final Leg Running Team. Runners accompanying the "Flame of Hope" on its Final Leg come from all 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and 28 countries. Claire Kennedy was the Irish Committee Chairperson.      Special Olympics Athletes (click for Adobe PDF biography) Jonathan Lane Blackmon Special Olympics Texas (USA) Kevin Brown Special Olympics New York (USA) Tony Gorczyca Special Olympics Maryland (USA) David Henderson Special Olympics Colorado (USA) Dale Jones Special Olympics Georgia (USA) Robert Jordan Special Olympics Ireland Michael Quinn Special Olympics Ireland Ryan A. Sinatra Special Olympics New Mexico (USA) Samuel Stillings Special Olympics Minnesota (USA) Vikelis Savvas Special Olympics Greece      Law Enforcement Runners (click for Adobe PDF biography)      USA (listed alphabetically by state) Kenneth Fountain Alabama Brandon Anderson Alaska Raul Molina Arizona Lori Ann Lawson Arkansas Mike Peretti California, Northern Tyler Burtis California, Southern Doug Abraham Colorado Luis Rosa Connecticut Wayne Kline Delaware Jimmy Rexroad Florida Mike Pearson Georgia John Kerr Hawaii Timothy Beaudoin Idaho Tom Reasoner Illinois James Reno Indiana Richard Hickle Iowa Dean Harcrow Kansas Greg Baxter Kentucky Richard Wall Louisiana Emery Toulouse Maine John Newnan Maryland Timothy Sheehan Massachusetts Thomas Carey Michigan Rob Schwegel Minnesota Thomas Mikula Mississippi Jim Moran Missouri Jerry Williams Montana Aaron Moore Nebraska Steven Ritchey Nevada Paul Montray New Hampshire Bruce Mathews New Jersey Gerald Sandoval New Mexico Sal Gerbino New York Bill Frick North Carolina Gary Grove North Dakota Larry Bunting Ohio Don Hull Oklahoma Kris Martes Oregon Paul Evanko Pennsylvania Robert Eaton Rhode Island Joseph Pellicci South Carolina Jeff Miller South Dakota William Smith Tennessee Michael Sutton Texas Steve White Utah John Martin Vermont Michelle Taylor Virginia Ted Rutt Washington John Frazier West Virginia Ray Merlin Wisconsin Ronald Casalenda Wyoming       Return to top      Canada Paul Manuel Alberta Russ Foster British Columbia Dominic Broaders Newfoundland/Labrador Helen Burns Nova Scotia Mike Currie Ontario Michel Lariviere Quebec Kenneth Matechuk Saskatchewan       Return to top      Ireland Tim Craig Northern Ireland Pauline Crompton Northern Ireland Mervyn Davison Northern Ireland Mark Gilmore Northern Ireland Lynn Wilson Northern Ireland Ann Friel Northern Ireland       Return to top      International Alan Keane Australia Markus Glossl Austria Aidan Taylor Barbados Nicolas Cottiels Belgium Rodney Rivers Cayman Islands James Wen-jui Chang Chinese Taipei George Zannetou Cyprus Karel Seidl Czech Republic Paivi Puhakka Finland Werner Doerrenbaecher Germany Terence Lopez Gibraltar Alexandros Kappis Greece Peter Vermeulen Holland Peter Halliday Hong Kong Eszter Samu Hungary Laurenzia Silvestri Italy Tsuyoshi Mitsunaga Japan Dinars Lubins Latvia Mario Bulgheroni Monaco Jacek Hachulski Poland Dariusz Borowski Poland Ivan Tychkovski Russia Ignacio L. Fernandez-Getino Spain Basulwa Emmanuel Uganda Tapfumanei Jonga Zimbabwe       Return to top      Running Team Leaders Bob Belfiore New Jersey Bill Buford Arkansas Roy Forrest North Carolina Ben Fravel Virginia Rob Hall Utah Kurt Kendro Hawaii Tim Korchinski Saskatchewan Joe Pena Illinois Alan Richardson Ontario Tommy Walker Indiana       Return to top      Irish Support Team Members Claire Kennedy General Mgr., Torch Run Final Leg, Dublin Rita Archibold Dublin, Ireland Eileen Brophy Carlow, Ireland Brian Brunton Dublin, Ireland Gerry Conlon Dublin, Ireland Mick Feehan Dublin, Ireland Andrew Galbraith Bangor, Northern Ireland Claire Hunt Dublin, Ireland Eddie Kelly County Wicklow, Ireland Roy Kerr Bangor, Northern Ireland Mary Lucherini Dublin, Ireland Orla Maher Dublin, Ireland Brian McCargo Belfast, Northern Ireland Ciaran McCarthy Dublin, Ireland Brendan Mulligan Wexford, Ireland Mary Mulligan Wexford, Ireland James O'Keeffe Dublin, Ireland Paddy Quaid Dublin, Ireland Maureen Rabbitt Galway, Ireland Elaine Redmond County Dublin, Ireland Andrea Ryan Dublin, Ireland Kay Ryan Dublin, Ireland       Return to top      Support Team Members Rich Banahan Missouri Ken Bennett Michigan Pat Carpenter Louisiana Gary Evangelista New Jersey Steve Graehling Arizona Loyd Hamrick Kansas Jeff Henson Illinois Barb Hilton New Jersey Heather Mathews Special Olympics Gene Piscitelli North Carolina Tom Schniedwind Maryland Rodney Seurer Minnesota       Return to top      Documentation Team Members Herb Gelb Photo Documentation Team Larry Parker Video Documentation Team George Srour Journalist       Return to top