Durban – Eighteen-year-old Tamarah Jacobs was given the honour of welcoming reigning figure skating Olympic champion Yuna Kim to South Africa to help promote PyeongChang’s bid for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Jacobs was a member of PyeongChang’s Dream Programme – aimed at helping the IOC expand interest and participation in winter sports amongst young people across the world.
Jacobs visited PyeongChang along with 108 additional members of the Dream Programme and was taught how to figure skate by South Korean athletes and coaches. She still figure skates and now coaches children in Durban whilst studying.
“The programme opened my eyes to the wonderful world of winter sports… and also gave me and so many other children around the world where winter sports aren’t available the chance to learn and practice my winter sports skills,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs was thrilled to meet Kim, “I remember watching Yuna Kim win Gold in Vancouver and it was so amazing to meet her today in my home town of Durban. I really hope that the Winter Games go to PyeongChang in 2018 and it will be great to go back there again when it is an Olympic city”.
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Gold medallist said she is delighted to be in Durban to support PyeongChang’s 2018 bid.
“I’m so thrilled to meet a young Figure Skater who was inspired by PyeongChang’s ‘Dream Programme…I remember being a little girl watching Figure Skating and feeling so lucky that I had incredible local winter sports facilities where I could train and practice every day.
“There are so many children around the world who aren’t as fortunate to live where winter sports are available so I’m very proud that PyeongChang’s ‘Dream Programme’ offers these young people the chance to have amazing winter sports experiences,” said Kim.
Since 2004, the programme has provided 935 children from 57 countries the opportunity to experience winter sports for the first time.
Two hundred of those children have come from 12 African nations and 29 from South Africa.
One participant from Africa went on to become an Olympic athlete at the Vancouver Winter Games last year. -Kemantha Govender, BuaNews
