A moving farewell prayer from a member of the team calling for God’s guidance, protection and His presence as the proverbial “extra man”, summed up the upbeat mood of Jamaica’s Special Olympic team prior to departing for South Korea yesterday morning.

The 18-member team will seek to repeat their 2009 gold medal win in floor hockey and will test new waters in figure skating at the 2013 Winter Games to be staged in Pyeongchang, South Korea from January 29 to February 5.

Head of delegation, Glendon West, said as champions the Jamaicans are highly expected to win gold again in floor hockey.

“We are expecting to defend that gold… the thing is that we are not sure who our opponents are, so it’s very difficult to predict how things will go, but as true champions we will find to the end,” he said at the VIP hospitality lounge of the Norman Manley International Airport.

West said preparation has gone well for the eight-day championship, therefore he expects all that hard-work and dedication of the athletes to bear fruits.

“We spend about two years practising… for the last few months we have been in the (National) Arena working out as it’s the same kind of surface that we will be playing on… I think preparation went as it did for the last games (in Idaho, USA, 2009),” he noted.

He said while Jamaica is new at figure-skating, confidence is high that the Jamaicans will rise to the occasion. “I think it is the first time we are entering figure-skating, but in floor hockey we have been participating since 1989… I think the athletes (figure-skaters) that have just started have grasped the fundamentals, I think they are in with a shot of any of the medals as they have worked hard,” West told the Jamaica Observer.

Team captain, Sydney Manyan, said he leads an experienced team and hopeful for a successful defence of the gold. “We have a pretty good team as most of the guys were on the team that won the gold medal, so they know what to expect and what to do and have a very good chance,” he said

Manyan noted that while Jamaica are good overall, their strength lies in defence. “We are very strong in defence and most of the guys can score goals as well. Floor hockey is a game where you can move forward and get back quickly, so some of the defenders can score and those who play forward can do their thing as well,” the defender outlined.

Jamaica defeated Canada, 8-7, in the final in 2009 championship.

Digicel sports sponsorship manager, Tahnida Nunes, speaking on behalf on the Special Olympians main benefactor, said the cellphone giant has a soft spot for special need groups.

“It’s a passion for the company and it’s an area where there are a lot of challenges, and wherever there are challenges there are opportunities for us a private sector company to come in and aid… they have been doing very well over the years and have done us so proud, and they really appreciate the help and the sponsorship, and each year we partner with them because they deliver,” she said.

The Special Games provides the opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to display their skills and capabilities and targets the breaking down of barriers that exclude those individuals from mainstream society.

The disabilities may either be acquired or genetic and can include cases of autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome and traumatic brain injury.

Athletes: Dwight Brooks, Omar Brown, Oshaine Daley, Rayan Farquharson, Andre Folkes, Jason Grant, Dexter Haughton, Jermaine Henry, Keneil Hewitt, Andrew Hinds, Lucan Jones, Sydney Manyan, Shawn Myers, Craig Nelson, Matthew Tarawali, David Thompson, Nigel Davis and Tamra Mitchell.