Winter Athletes Visit Kyrgyz Republic to Coach, Motivate Young People

February 12, 2013

Four inspiring winter sports athletes will tour the Kyrgyz Republic to give workshops and motivational speeches to young people from February 13-20, 2013. Their tour is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek through the America300 Foundation, an American non-profit organization.

The four athletes coming to Kyrgyzstan are:

• Devon Harris, founding member of Jamaican National Bobsled Team, competed in three Olympic Games, inspiration for the Disney film “Cool Runnings”;
• Nelson Carmichael: Two time World Cup Grand Prix Mogul Champion, 1992 Olympic Bronze Medalist in mogul skiing;
• Caroline Lalive: Alpine Skier, competed in two Olympic Games;
• Tom Whittaker, the first amputee to summit Mt. Everest.

Devon Harris grew up in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica, where he dreamed of making a better life for himself. He participated in track and field and soccer as a child, and eventually joined the Jamaican Army Defense Forces, from where he was recruited onto the first bobsled team to represent Jamaica in the 1988 Olympic Games. He is now an American citizen and works with two charities to improve the lives of boys and girls around the world.

Devon’s life story will be shared along with those of Olympians Nelson Carmichael and Caroline Lalive, and the world’s first amputee to summit Mt. Everest, Tom Whittaker. The foursome along with retired Olympic coach and American300 founder Robi Powers, will travel to Karakol and Orlovka to interact with disadvantaged youngsters at winter sports camps organized by the Ministry of Youth.

“This will mark the third time our organization has worked with U.S. Embassy Bishkek and the people of Kyrgyzstan,” says Powers. “Our goal is to bring individuals who possess strong life stories and share them. It’s been a recipe for building friendships all over the world.”

The group will be available for a twitter chat on Wednesday, February 13 from 4-5 pm. Send in a question using the hashtag #us2kgsport. They will also hold a public presentation at the Bishkek American Corner (Bayalinov Library) on Monday, February 18 at 4:00 pm. Interested media should contact the U.S. Embassy Press office for additional availability.