The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, an organization that teaches essential water safety skills and how to swim, has named South African swimmer Terence Parkin official Ambassador for the Deaf and Blind. In his role, the 33-time Deaflympic medalist will travel around the world to speak on water safety in the hopes of reducing drowning fatalities.
According to Princess Charlene, “Terence is an incredible athlete who has shown dedication and passion for his sport, and has never let any obstacles stand in his way on his path to achieve great things. We welcome him to the Foundation, where we know that he will continue to do excellent work.” (eNews Channel Africa)
South African Olympian Ryk Neethling was previously announced as CEO of the Foundation this past summer. Of Parkin’s appointment, Neethling stated, “He is such a powerful role model for children everywhere, and an inspiration for anyone who is struggling to overcome the odds. I admire his sporting achievements and his subsequent work and look forward to seeing what’s next for him and the Foundation, which does such invaluable work.”
Princess Charlene, originally a native of Zimbabwe, represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Parkin is an OLYMPIAN (not a Paralympian) and won a silver in the 200m event in Sydney! 😉
Maybe both?
There are no events for deaf athletes at the Paralympics and the only deaf athletes you would see are those with other impairments and thus competing under those categories.
Whilst Terry Parkin DID compete at, and set records, at Deaflympics later in his career; he primarily competed in able bodied/open competition as highlighted by his 200brs silver in Sydney.