Friday, January 30, 2009

Sports figures and celebrities are expected for games


By EXPRESS STAFF

Mariel Hemingway, who has a home in Ketchum, will be one of the guests during the 2009 World Winter Games. Photo by David N. Seelig

Special Olympics announced that several celebrities, Olympic and professional athletes, senior government leaders and other key newsmakers are scheduled to attend the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games from Feb. 7-13.

Many of these guests will participate in the opening and closing ceremonies, Global Youth Rally and other events that week, helping cheer on the nearly 2,500 athletes from more than 100 countries competing in the games.

Among those attending the 2009 World Games are first lady of Panama Vivian Fernández de Torrijos, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, first lady of California Maria Shriver, and actors Mariel Hemingway, Vanessa Williams, Scott Glenn, Tom Arnold and Johnny Knoxville.

As well, attending will be musician Darius Rucker, Lt. Andy Baldwin and Olympians Kristi Yamaguchi, Carly Patterson, Casey FitzRandolph, Scott Hamilton, Bart Conner, Nadia Comaneci, Billy Kidd and Donna de Verona. Professional sports figures who will be on hand will be basketball player Sam Perkins, South African footballer Lucas Radebe and Peruvian footballer Teófilo Cubillas.

"We are honored to have such great supporters attend our World Games and help champion the mission of Special Olympics worldwide," said Timothy Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics. "The global support we are receiving for these games and other events is a testament to how Special Olympics creates unity throughout the world."

In addition to taking part in the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Winter Games, several celebrity supporters will host a two-hour interactive show in Boise during the first-ever Global Youth Rally, on Monday, Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise. The youth rally will be a fast-paced, multi-media event with a strong call to action that students will carry back to their home communities and schools. In addition to the in-person event, the rally will be on the Special Olympics webcast so students can participate via school assemblies or classrooms worldwide.

Dana DuGan: ddugan@mtexpress.com




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.