Team Jamaica Bickle seeking to raise US$25,000 from virtual 5K run/walk
Published:Friday | October 9, 2020 | 5:20 PM
Team Jamaica Bickle will be seeking to raise US$25,000 through a virtual 5K run/walk to assist Caribbean athletes participating in the annual Penn Relays carnival held at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Team Jamaica has been assisting with hosting, hospitality, transportation and medical care to athletes from the region for 26 years.
Speaking at the digital launch today founder and chief executive officer Irwine Clare said the annual event was moved online due to COVID-19 and that the organisation is hoping to garner the support of participants from around the globe.
President of the Olympian Association of Jamaica, Marvin Anderson, announced that three-time Olympic medallist and two-time world athletic champion, Sherone Simpson, is a patron for the event.
He commended Team Jamaica for pressing ahead with the event, noting that the work of the organisation remains relevant in light of the current times.
"... how we maximise the virtual landscape will be very critical in how we move our sporting sector forward," he said.
Clare stated that the entity will be flexible in its response to the effects of the pandemic.
"Our decisions will be driven by the fact that it's about our athletes' welfare," he said.
He added that while some projects have been halted, the organisation is grateful for all the support it has received and looks forward to the success of future initiatives.
Among them, he said, is the defibrillator programme, which saw 35 devices being provided to schools in Jamaica in 2019.
How to participate
Persons can register at https://events.elitefeats.com/bickle20 and give a donation of US$30.
Once registered, participants have approximately two weeks, from October 9-24, 2020, to complete their run or walk and upload their time using the Strava APP, which can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play Store.
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