CHENNAI: The UNICEF ‘CEO Run’ 2017 — Chiefs for children, organised by United Way of Chennai was conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday morning. The focus was to get leaders of the society to safeguard children and provide holistic development. The event began with an energetic Zumba session for warm up.
The chief guest, Robert Burgess, US consul general, said, “I salute this great initiative, the sponsors and the participants and wish success to UNICEF and United Way of Chennai in their important work towards development.” The official torch bearers of the event were athletes Jayaprasad, national level swimmer, Jyothish, former captain of the national volleyball team and Sebastian Xavier, Olympic swimmer and Arjuna awardee.
A pledge wall was on display for the participants to write their opinions and pledges and the wall was covered with pledges in no time. The event had several races such as Champions run — 400 metres, Spouses run, Relay — 8×100 metres, Senior run — 100 metres and fun relay which required participants to dribble and pass tennis balls as they raced.
There was also a tug of war and a ‘Last Mile’ run which was mandatory for all participants. The main attraction was a 50-metre wheelchair race by the members of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India and a race for the differently-abled participants who were cheered on by the crowd. P Madhavi Latha, president of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India, said, “We hope to use this platform for drawing attention and support to the wheelchair athletes of our federation.
Last year, teams (both men and women) won bronze medals in Bali, and it was the first time by our country. With support, we hope to take it to the next level and reach the Paralympics soon.” Although there were minor cases of falls and cramps at the event, they were well attended to by the medics at the physiotherapist tent set up by Kaveri Hospital. A jovial victory dance by the team of Ficci flo won all hearts and it was an event enjoyed by all age groups.
Article Source: The New Indian Express