The six-member Special Olympics sailing team to compete in the World Games 2011 in Athens.

The parade would start 2:00pm from Manuel Reef and proceed to Government House to meet His Excellency the Governor William Boyd McCleary and his wife Mrs. Jenny McCleary who is Patron of the organisation, before moving through town and finishing at the Administration Complex around 3.00pm.

The Olympic team is destined for Athens Greece, the venue for the largest sporting event on the planet. Some 7,500 athletes will come together and compete at world class standards.

The public is encouraged to meet, greet and encourage the athletes.

Team SOBVI will all compete in three of the five levels of racing available. On the water, competition will be held off the shore of Athens at the Schinias Sailing Academy with a backdrop of an ancient Roman city and the origination of the Olympic Games.

Six athletes have been selected to represent the Virgin Islands; they will be accompanied by three delegation members.

The trip itself spans two weeks of traveling, experiencing such a different culture and sailing to win!  Although there are over 20 Special Olympic programmes in the Caribbean and three times that in Latin America, the VI is the only Territory in this region to train and enter a sailing team.  Our boys and girls will face giants such as Australia, USA, China and Great Britain amongst others.

Team SOBVI consists of the following individuals:

Akeem David – a newbie to the team and the youngest at 16, but he is working hard, getting ready to do his best!  He is currently a pupil of Eslyn Henley Richez learning Centre and lives at Belle Vue.

Delroy Gordon – one of the older members of the team at 19 he has been sailing for 5 years and sadly missed out on last year’s UK regatta as he was critically ill in hospital.  He is back to fitness now and out-performing most, as he trains and races.  Delroy is a pupil at the BVI Technical and Vocational Institute.

Elsa Meyers – 19 year old University of Aberystwyth student in Wales. Elsa already has international dinghy racing experience, and is the only BVIslander ever to qualify as a RYA instructor.  She will join the team as one of two, ‘Unified Partners’.

Glenford Gordon – 20 years old and a full time employee of Horizon Yacht Charters who are long term supporters of SOBVI.  Glen represented the BVI in Rutland, UK last August returning from the event with a 1^st place trophy!

Jaye Noel – a 17 year old student at ESHS.  Jaye will be the second ‘Unified Partner’ on the team.  His close involvement as an RYA Assistant Instructor at the BVIWSC over recent years and a keen racer in his own right, has earned him his place on the Team.

Lenford Pope – 18 years old and a resident of North Sound, Virgin Gorda.  He crewed Glen to their victory last year in England and will add his brilliant ‘front end’ skills to Delroy’s boat this time around.  He is currently attending the BVI Technical and Vocational institute.

Head of Delegation Ms. Lorna Dawson, Head Coach Mrs. Alison Knights Bramble and Assistant Mr. Richard Chee Young, will be traveling with the team.