I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Development Report.
The twentieth Winter Olympics have just ended in Turin, Italy. But for
some possible future Olympians, the games are about to begin with help
from an American speed skater. Joey Cheek won a gold medal in the five
hundred meter event. And he won a silver medal in the one thousand meter
race. The United States Olympic Committee gave him forty thousand dollars
in prize money. Twenty-five thousand dollars for his gold medal, and
fifteen thousand for the silver.
Joey Cheek announced that he was giving the money to the international
group Right to Play. This group is based in Toronto, Canada. It brings
sports and play to children in developing countries. Olympic and
professional athletes from around the world help support Right to Play
with their time and money.
Right to Play uses athletes as ambassadors. It says star athletes are
not only the heroes of children; they can also influence decision makers.
The group says well-designed sports and play programs help children
develop physically, mentally and socially. Sports can help create
connections between children and adults. They can also bring children
together to learn teamwork, conflict resolution and cultural
understanding. For example, Right to Play has programs in Israel and the
Palestinian territories.
In parts of Africa, the group uses sports as a way to build community
support for national health campaigns. It says a new project in Sri Lanka
and Indonesia will work with people affected by the tsunami in December of
two thousand four. Right to Play also has programs in Azerbaijan, Pakistan
and Thailand.
Right to Play began as Olympic Aid. It started as a way to show support
for people in areas of war and crisis and collect money for them. The
Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee came up with the idea. That was
in preparation for the nineteen ninety-four Winter Games in Lillehammer,
Norway.
The president and chief executive officer of Right to Play is Johann
Olav Koss. He has four gold medals in speed skating, three of them from
Lillehammer.
Right to Play says it reaches more than five hundred thousand children
each week.
Its Web site is w-w-w dot righttoplay, all one word, dot com.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.
Read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
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