Hoover Detective To Carry Torch In Special Olympics World Games

HOOVER, AL - The Hoover Police Department has been a long time supporter of the Special Olympics, and that support will be showcased worldwide this week, as HPD detective Eric Myers has been selected to carry the Flame of Hope as part of the Final Leg Torch Run Team for the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in the United Arab Emirates.

Myers will be one of the prestigious Guardians of the Flame as he runs the Flame of Hope throughout the United Arab Emirates leading up to the start of the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.

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“It is personal to me because my son has intellectual disabilities. It is also personal to me from a professional standpoint," Myers said in a release by the Hoover PD. "I have been in law enforcement for over ten years and every year I look forward to seeing these athletes achieve their goals. Their faces light up and their smiles make me smile. I’m so blessed to be able to combine my career, my family and my passion with Special Olympics. I am really looking forward to my son participating when he gets older.”

Final Leg runners from around the world were selected to proudly represent their local Torch Run and Special Olympics Programs. The Final Leg team will embark on different routes, running the Flame of Hope throughout cities and communities across the United Arab Emirates at various events, honoring the spirit of the Special Olympics global movement and delivering a message of hope to communities where people with intellectual disabilities continue to fight for acceptance and inclusion. The Final Leg Team will then safely deliver the Flame of Hope to the Opening Ceremony on March 14.