Olympic sponsorship for girls launched
SANDTON - Princess Charlene of Monaco has supported an initiative launched at the Virgin Active Bryanston, an Olympic sponsorship programme for young female swimmers.
The initiative, Get the Girls to Gold, was aimed at raising funds for eight promising young swimmers to train for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was endorsed by SwimSA. The programme was launched in Bryanston where with SwimSA CEO Shaun Adriaanse, leading sponsors and project initiators Marie Claire Magazine and Citadel Wealth Management. SwimSA announced the eight girls chosen for the programme at the launch, ranging in age from 11 to 15.
SwimSA will be responsible for managing their funds and expenses, reported Marie Claire Magazine. An account with the Citadel Philanthropy Foundation has been created for the benefit of SwimSA, to be managed by Citadel Wealth Management. Citadel and Lucky Star were two of the first sponsors to contribute, with a donation of R20 000. The public were also welcomed to support the initiative and details can be found on the Marie Claire Magazine website.
Aspasia Karras, editor of Marie Claire Magazine, said, “It was started a year ago with a timeous comment from Ryk Neethling. He explained that there was a need to help girls achieve Olympic greatness and that it was the fervent desire of Olympic coach Graham Hill to set up a project that would do just that.”
Princess Charlene said in an interview with Marie Claire Magazine, “My foundation (the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation) is based on helping children, and I handpick projects that are close to my heart and home. I still come home and do my bit. I believe that it’s what we do, our actions, that should make a difference.” She added, “It is important that these girls in turn become role models for other girls. It is their first step, if we get these girls to Rio successfully, for other girls also to aspire to be champions.”
Details: marieclairvoyant.co.za or www.swimsa.org
