1.000 people participate in race for visually impaired people
Thứ Ba, 04/12/2018, 08:47
This is not a race to find the fastest runner for every special athlete has been a champion for winning themselves.
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The race called “Chay voi toi – 2gether” (Run with me – Together) took place in downtown Hanoi on December 2 with the participation of some1,000 runners, including nearly 300 blind people.
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The event was organized by the Vietnam and Friends (VAF), a Vietnamese non-governmental organization that gathers local and international volunteers to support disadvantaged people in Vietnam and to take care of environmental issues.
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Miss Vietnam 2016 Do My Linh, the Ambassador of the program, joins other delegates at the event, including Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lochen and Austrian Ambassador to Vietnam Thomas Schuller-Gotzburg and U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink...
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Opening the event, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink highlighted that everyone has the right and opportunity to study, work and pursue their dreams. "That's the reason why the US has provided more than 100 million USD to support disabled people in Vietnam since 1989", said the U.S Ambassador.
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The event is not only for running with the blind but also creates a welcoming environment and eliminates physical and social barriers to enhance public awareness of the importance of equal rights for people with disabilities, he added.
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| Do My Linh joins a special friend, Le Huong Giang, the first blind MC of Vietnam Television. |
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The runners raced distances of 3.4 km and 5.1 km around Hoan Kiem lake. Each blind contestant was guided by a sighted runner through a rope tied to their wrists so the distance between a visually impaired and a sighted was reduced.
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| Participants get ready for the race. |
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A number of activities also took place besides the race to allow the sighted to experience a life of the blind and understand them better, for example, learning Braille and how to use a cane to walk like a blind person and playing chess with the blind.
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| The race brings joys and happiness to all participants. |
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| The Austrian Ambassador and his running partner. |
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| The race is organized to raise public awareness of visually impaired people. |
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A visually impaired athlete finish his race.
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| Each athlete is already a champion for winning himself. |
By Duy Tien
