SPECIAL Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) was among sporting bodies and agencies to officially receive ‘One World’ balls courtesy of a partnership between United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Food For The Poor (FFP) on Friday.

The donation was possible through the One World Play Project, which involves the handover of 5,000 balls to a number of entities.

The original concept was for them to be used for football, but they are said to be versatile and can be used in other ball sports.

The presentation ceremony was staged on the SOJ multi-purpose court at the National Stadium.

Some of the other beneficiaries include Juvenile Department of Correctional Services, Child Development Agency (CDA), Breds/Treasure Beach Foundation, Ballaz International Football Camp, Netball Jamaica, and Social Development Commission (SDC).

David Mair, the executive director of FFP Jamaica, said the aim is to help to transform lives through development in sports.

“Food For The Poor is proud to be partnering with UNICEF on this venture of reaching out to the youths of our society through the ‘One World’ initiative.

“We hope that this mission will be a positive life-changing tool to those who will benefit, such as children with special needs, youth in prison, children in state care, violence prevention programmes, and children in extreme poverty,” Mair said.

UNICEF’s Mark Connolly said the contribution is all about youth development and the inclusion of various entities under one umbrella.

“This is to celebrate the right to play that all children have, and to re-emphasise and reconfirm among ourselves that, here in Jamaica, when it comes to children and sports for development, we are all on the same page,” Connolly said.

Special Olympics International Director of Sports and Development, Christian Guiralt, praised Jamaica for exposing the positive impact of sports.

“You are showing to the world the capacity that sport has to make people understand the real soul of a population. What you are doing in track and field, in sports in general, and in Special Olympics is fantastic,” Guiralt said.

Dr Carlton Davis, the board chairman of SOJ, was grateful for the kind gesture.

“The organisation would not have survived without a lot of help from various people. Sport is the media to make life better for people who face challenges,” Davis said.

Balls will also be distributed to schools islandwide to aid their sports development programmes. The ‘One World’ balls are said to be virtually indestructible and are self-inflatable.

— Sanjay Myers