YOU can assist athletes like Motherwell’s own Sinotando Adonis to make their Special Olympic dreams come true by supporting the “Adopt an Athlete” campaign.
With less than 3 months until the Special Olympics Summer World Games in Germany this June, Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA) has announced its official partnership with Former Springbok rugby player, Bryan Habana’s MATCHKIT in support of the sports tech’s ‘Adopt an Athlete’ campaign.
Launched in February this year, the campaign hopes to raise much-needed funds in support of the 2023 SOSA National Team. The team will represent the country in Berlin, Germany from June 17 to 25.
The games will welcome 7,000 Special Olympic athletes and Unified partners from approximately 170 countries to compete in 24 sports. The field will be supported by more than 3,000 coaches and 20,000 volunteers.
With community support, athletes like Adonis will be able to join this group without worrying about the financial strain.
“I am so excited to be travelling to Germany in June, to compete with other athletes at the world games. My family and friends support me, and I hope to make them and also my country proud with lots of medals. I am a little nervous but I am training hard and I will do my best,” said the 19-year-old table tennis player who attends Lonwabo Special School.
The approximate cost per athlete to compete in the World Games is a sizable R40 000. The funds raised will thus contribute to covering expenses including travel, training camps, sports / casual attire, sports equipment and daily stipends for the athletes.
Habana believes in the power of sport and its positive impact on society and that this partnership will aid in the empowerment of those athletes with intellectual disabilities,
“The MATCHKIT platform is unique in its ability to connect athletes with both their fans as well as organisations. The MATCHKIT team looks forward to helping raise awareness and drive funds, via our Adopt an Athlete campaign and consider it our honour to fully support Special Olympics South Africa and all those athletes set to represent our country at the Summer World Games,” he said
Shaka Sisulu of MatchKit added that by visiting the platform, corporates and regular South Africans alike can engage, be involved and impact the lives of our Special Olympians. “It is an unfortunate reality for many South African athletes that one cannot sit back and wait for assistance from the powers that be – instead we call on our everyday active citizens to back our superstars on the global stage, in their quest for recognition, participation, growth and ultimately a podium finish. We call on our communities to join hands, support this campaign and be the difference.”
For more information on how to support the Adopt an Athlete campaign, please visit:
https://matchkit.co/special-olympics-sa/team Click on the various athletes and donate to their crowdfund.
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