(ATR) Port-au-Prince, Haiti is the site of the newest Sport for Hope Center.
IOC president Thomas Bach, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Haiti President Michel Martelly opened the facility on Tuesday.
The center is modeled after the Sport for Hope Center in Lusaka, Zambia, which opened in 2010.
Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake prompted the IOC to select Port-au-Prince as the second site for a Sport for Hope Center. Much of Haiti’s capital is still yet to fully recover from the earthquake.
Facilities for 14 Olympic sports and a wide range of support services are available at the center.
IOC president Thomas Bach said, "The opening today of the Sport for Hope Center here in Haiti is an example of how we can work successfully with other organisations to contribute to building a better world."
Joining the IOC in getting the center up and running were the international sport federations that will have sport facilities on site, the U.S. Olympic Committee, TOP Sponsor GE, and the Red Cross Movement, as well as other stakeholders.
In a statement, the IOC said, "The Sport for Hope Center features modern sporting facilities and will offer a wide range of educational programmes, health services, and community activities aimed at rebuilding local communities, promoting social values, and giving Haiti’s citizens a better future."
Written by Ed Hula III
Homepage photo: Getty Images
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