For Immediate Release

September 4, 2007

 

World Sport Chicago Receives USOC Grant

Gloves Not Guns Program is 2007 Olympic Opportunity Fund Grant Recipient

 

Colorado Springs, Colo. – After reviewing proposals from organizations in communities across America, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) announced that World Sport Chicago is one of eleven organizations to receive a grant from the newly created Olympic Opportunity Fund.  The grants are awarded to programs focused on increasing diversity and youth participation in Olympic and Paralympic sport.

 

World Sport Chicago received the grant for its Gloves Not Guns Program.  Co-developed and endorsed by USA Boxing, the Gloves Not Guns program will be delivered in three phases with participants earning diplomas when advancing to the next phase.  The first phase, base conditioning, features support exercise and conditioning elements that are distinct to boxing such as shadow boxing, heavy bag punching, speed-bag exercises, etc.  Advanced Conditioning and Training represent the second phase.  In this phase, coaches work with participants to teach them the fundamental mechanics, moves and techniques of the sport.  The third and final phase, supervised sparring matches, gives youngsters the opportunity to compete in three-round, two-minute matches under close supervision and with respect to weight classes and skill-level match-ups.  The program will be facilitated by USA Boxing certified coaches and instructors and will serve as a prototype model for the organization’s national grass-roots program.

 

Additionally, designated boxing facilities in Chicago city neighborhoods will be made available at no cost to neighborhood children to encourage participation in the sport. 

 

Established this year, the Olympic Opportunity Fund is an effort that directly ties to a USOC objective to increase the relevance of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement in American society through grassroots programs. USOC Multi-Sport Organizations, Community Olympic Development Program sites, Community Partners and youth organizations in cities that have hosted Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Olympic Festivals were eligible to apply for grants, at a maximum of $25,000, from the Olympic Opportunity Fund. 

 

In their proposals, organizations selected to receive funding had to demonstrate the capacity to implement and sustain a long-term athletic program that 1) helps increase diversity of the sport; 2) reaches urban youth; 3) involves one or more National Governing Bodies (NGBs) or the USOC Paralympic Division; and 4) increases participation in local community outreach as well as NGB membership.  The USOC required each grant recipient to collaborate with an NGB or the USOC Paralympic Division to ensure the entities responsible for the sport in the United States were in agreement on the positive impact of the grant. 

 

For more information, please contact the USOC Media and Public Relations Division (719/866-4529). 

 

About World Sport Chicago

World Sport Chicago (WSC) is an Illinois not-for-profit working to enhance the image, awareness and participation in Olympic sports across Chicago and to extend Chicago’s international outreach through and for sport and youth.  Focused on promoting the development of recreational and competitive sport to the area’s youth, WSC works closely with Chicago 2016 and Chicago’s 2016’s Athlete’s Advisory Counsel (AAC) to provide sport expertise and athlete insight to the execution of these sporting events.  WSC intends to aid Chicago in developing a sustainable, international sporting legacy, as a real agent of social change for the City.  Michael Conley, Sr., an Olympic medalist in the triple jump, serves as executive director.  William Scherr, an Olympic medalist in wrestling, is chairman of the board.  Jessica Judge serves as the director of operations.

 

About the United States Olympic Committee

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games.  In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games.