LIHU‘E — Everyone is invited to participate in the 2022 First Hawaiian Bank Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Olympics Kauai Track and Field Meet Saturday starting at 7:15 a.m. at Vidinha Stadium.
The 2022 torch run leg leaders are Kaua‘i Police Department Capt. Mark Ozaki, Sgt. Kevin Gras and Sgt. Matt Tavares, who will be joined by other KPD officers, their families and friends and volunteers of Special Olympics Kaua‘i in escorting the “Flame of Hope” to the stadium, where the arrival of the torch signals the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics track and field event.
Pre-registration forms for the Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run are available at any First Hawaiian Bank branch and KPD headquarters on Ka‘ana Street in Lihu‘e.
The torch run will start at Vidinha Stadium, make its way past the police station, turn south on Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Highway, right at the old KPD gym, and into the stadium for a victory lap. The mile course is rated for everyone, and welcomes back the in-person athletic events that were shut down by the pandemic for more than two years.
Following the victory lap, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron signals the start of the in-person track and field event where athletes compete in 14 events that includes the 200-meter dash, standing and running long jump, shot put, softball throw, and Unified Sports relay events.
Unified Sports combines Special Olympic athletes with athletes, or partners, without intellectual disabilities on sports teams for training and competition.
The Torch Run was created in 1981 by Chief Richard Lamunyon of Wichita, Kansas, who, along with a few deputies, ran the first torch run for Special Olympics. The run is now carried by law enforcement officers, referred to as “Guardians of the Flame” in every state, and in more than 40 countries.
In Hawai‘i, the Torch Run is named for fallen Honolulu Police Department officer Troy Barboza, who volunteered as a Special Olympics coach, participated in the first Torch Run in Hawai‘i and was shot and killed in his home by a drug suspect Barboza had previously arrested.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
