SOMO News
SOMO adds 2 to World Games torch run
Pair is part of LETC final leg to Kazan, Russia.
Brett Harper, Special Olympics Missouri athlete from the Southwest Area, and Lee’s Summit Police Officer Amanda Geno will run with the Flame of Hope in Russia, leading up to the start of the 2022 Special Olympics World games in Kazan. SOMO announced the selections on April 5.
“As one of only 10 Special Olympics athletes chosen from of a pool of nearly 30 athletes who were nominated, and one of 96 members of law enforcement chosen, we are thrilled to have Brett and Amanda both chosen to represent Missouri and participate on the 2022 Kazan final leg Torch Run team,” said Susan Stegeman, president and CEO of Special Olympics Missouri. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for both Brett and Amanda.
Harper and Geno will be part of the final leg team, serving as Guardians of the Flame® as they run throughout Russia in January 2022. Final leg runners from around the world were selected to represent their local Torch Run and Special Olympics programs.
The final leg team will run the Flame of Hope throughout cities and communities across Russia at various events. The team aims to honor the spirit of the Special Olympics global movement and deliver a message of hope to communities for people with intellectual disabilities who strive for acceptance and inclusion.
The final leg team will deliver the Flame of Hope to the Special Olympics World Games opening ceremony on Jan. 22, 2022.
Stegeman explained that each Special Olympics program can select one LETC runner and noted that Geno’s “leadership and dedication to our athletes and program made her deserving of this selection.”
Geno got her start with Special Olympics Missouri by volunteering at an event in 2002 and has been instrumental in helping Missouri’s Torch Run for 12 ½ years. She now serves as the region coordinator in the Kansas City area.
“These officers all do so much for our athletes and programs every day and it is awesome that Brett was selected for this honor,” Stegeman added. “His spirit and attitude will ensure he is a great representative of not only Missouri, but also the world.”
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® final leg for the 2022 World Games will take place Jan. 9 to Jan 22, 2022, with a team of 120, which includes 96 law enforcement officer runners, 10 Special Olympics athletes, and logistics personnel.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETC) is Special Olympics’ largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness effort in the world. Nearly 110,000 law enforcement members in all 50 U.S. States, 12 Canadian provinces/territories, and 44 countries contribute to LETR efforts annually as Guardians of the Flame®, ensuring the delivery of the Special Olympics Flame of Hope to the Opening Ceremony of local Special Olympics competitions, state/provincial games, and national/regional games.
For more information on the final leg team and the members participating, please visit www.letr-finalleg.org.
About Special Olympics
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership. With more than six million athletes and Unified Sports partners in over 190 countries and territories and more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and over 100,000 games and competitions every year.
Connect with us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and our blog on Medium. Learn more at www.SpecialOlympics.org.
About the 2022 Kazan Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg
The Final Leg tradition is for law enforcement officers, representing their country, state and Torch Run Program, to act as Guardians of the Flame and carry the Special Olympics Torch and the Flame of Hope to the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games.
This Torch Run event is called the Final Leg because it represents the culmination of Torch Run events that have occurred previously throughout the world. The Torch Run Final Leg is not only a salute to the athletes from around the world who will compete in the Special Olympics World Games, but also an honor for the participating law enforcement officers who comprise the Torch Run Final Leg Team.
For more information on the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg for the 2022 World Games, please contact Final Leg Committee Chairman and Team Captain, John Newnan at final.leg@gmail.com.
About the Special Olympics World Games Kazan, Russia 2022
The Special Olympics World Winter Games are among the world’s most prestigious sporting events and are focused on advancing a truly inclusive world for people with intellectual disabilities. The World Games also provide a prominent platform for the movement’s work in health, education, and leadership for athletes. For more information: https://sokazan2022.com
About the Host
Kazan is Russia’s capital of sports, a city with a thousand-year history, one of the country’s largest economic, scientific, and cultural centers, a melting pot of diverse cultures, ethnicities and traditions, and an exciting new destination for Special Olympics.
The Special Olympics World Winter Games 2022 will mark the first time the organization has brought a global competition to Russia. No stranger to major sports events, Kazan has played host an array of top sports competitions, including the 2013 Summer Universiade, 2015 FINA World Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
About Special Olympics Russia
Special Olympics Russia has been active for more than two decades and has 128,293 athletes taking part in sport and competition across the country. It covers 62 regions and is strongly supported by the Ministry of Sport of Russia.
Its mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with an intellectual disability, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.