JAMAICA'S SPECIAL Olympics team left the island yesterday en route to Nagano, Japan for the Special Olympics Winter Games starting on Saturday.The combined Team Caribbean is made up of four hockey athletes from Jamaica and Trinidad Tobago and two Speed Skaters from Jamaica with coaches from both countries.
The Jamaican team left the island knowing that Digicel has promised to sponsor the team, starting in April, to the tune of J$5m over the next three years.
An amount of $1.5 million per year will be donated for the first two years and J$2 million for the third year.
Over 2,500 athletes from 80 countries are down to participate in Japan at the Special Olympics, which is held every two years and generally caters to the thousands of athletes from around the world who come together to showcase their athletic skills and celebrate the spirit of the Olympics.
Since the first Special Olympics World Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, USA in July 1968, the event has grown to become one of the world's leading athletic events.
