Meet Victor, World Games Torch Bearer & Health Advocate from Nigeria!
With Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 set to be the most unified Games in the 50-year history of the Special Olympics movement, People of Determination have played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, organizing, creating and staging the Opening Ceremony and performances.
A line up of international stars will perform, and the ceremony will also see the lighting of the cauldron that will officially mark the opening of the World Games when ‘the Flame of Hope’ completes its final journey of the nationwide Law Enforcement Torch Run® into the iconic Zayed Sports City stadium.
Meet Victor
When you meet Victor, you are immediately drawn to his warm, quiet confidence. He is gentle, focused, and engaging — traits that make for a great SKILLZ for Life ‘Caring Master Coach’ in his home country of Nigeria.
Victor Chisom Umeh (19) is from Anambrah State, Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. He won gold playing football at the Special Olympics Nigeria National Games in 2018, and is part of the World Games 2019 team competing this week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Victor has been involved in SKILLZ for Life since 2016 and was chosen to become an Athlete Leader for the program. In SKILLZ For Life, a Master Coach is one level up from Coach and has additional responsibilities such as training Coaches, overseeing the monitoring and evaluation and fidelity during program implementation.
Victor was trained alongside other Athlete Leaders and Master Coaches for the SKILLZ for Life Program in September 2018 in Lagos. At the training, Victor consistently talked about his love for basketball, in a community where soccer (or football as it’s known locally) dominates the sporting scene. He is a skilled football player, and also enjoys handball. He takes personal pride in his health and when he wants to show off and he has made a connection with you, he will gladly show you his developing guns (biceps)!
Victor is currently schooling at the University of Calabar where he is championing the Special Olympics ideals of inclusion for all irrespective of one’s intellectual status. In his capacity as a SKILLZ For Life master coach and athlete leader, he is also engaging fellow students in discussions and campaigns for a malaria and HIV free world.
Victor loves using a computer and learning about graphic design, and hopes to learn more and use his artistic skill one day soon.
“I want to say thank you to Special Olympics for making me show others my talent. Thank you!”
