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Media Contact: Captain Jeff Smith

LIEUTENANT BILL PROLL TO CARRY THE FLAME OF HOPE FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD WINTER GAMES AUSTRIA 2017 FINAL LEG

Flame serves as beacon of inspiration to thousands during the
Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg in Austria

The Flame of Hope, the official torch for the Special Olympics World Games Austria 2017, will be lit in Athens, Greece, formally beginning its journey to the World Games. In keeping with Olympic tradition and custom dating back to the Ancient Greeks, the torch will be lit by the sun’s rays, and will remain lit until the end of the Games on March 25th. Lieutenant Bill Proll of the San Luis Obispo Police Department will serve as a Guardian of the Flame of Hope and participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg, the last journey of the flame throughout Austria. Bill Proll is one of ten police officers chosen from around the world to be a Team Leader on the Final leg. These ten officers will lead the team of nearly 100 police officers and ten Special Olympic athletes throughout Austria. Team Leaders are selected for this honor by the International Law Enforcement Torch Run for their dedication and commitment to the Special Olympics movement. Lieutenant Bill Proll has worked for the San Luis Obispo Police Department since 1984. He is currently serving as a watch commander on the day shift and has been involved with the Torch Run for the last 25 years.

The Final Leg team will begin in Bregenz, Austria and embark on two different routes, running the Flame of Hope throughout 45 cities, towns and communities across Austria 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 safely deliver the “Flame of Hope” to the Special Olympics World Winter Games Austria 2017 Opening Ceremony on Saturday March 18th.

About the 2017 Austria Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg

The Final Leg tradition is for law enforcement officers, representing their country, state and Torch Run Program, to act as “Guardians of the Flame” and carry the Special Olympics Torch and "Flame of Hope" to the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Games. This Torch

Run event is called the Final Leg because it represents the culmination of Torch Run events that have occurred previously throughout the World. The Torch Run Final Leg is not only a salute to the athletes from around the World who will compete in the Special Olympics World Games, but also an honor for the participating law enforcement officers who comprise the Torch Run Final Leg Team. The Olympic flame symbolizes the light of spirit, knowledge and life. With identical power and majesty, the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope," in the entrusted care of the law enforcement community, symbolizes the courage and celebration of diversity that the Special Olympics movement represents. The 2017 Final Leg will precede the Special Olympics World Games held in Schladming, Graz and Ramsau, Austria. The mission of the Final Leg is to create awareness and excitement for Special Olympics, support and attendance of the World Games, and involve, inspire and motivate runners to increase their level of commitment to Special Olympics when they return to their local Programs. The Final Leg Team (133 members strong) is comprised of law enforcement runners, Special Olympics athletes, and Logistics Team members from 44 states and 26 countries around the world representing 83 Torch Run programs.

For more information on the Final Leg team and the members participating, please visit www.letr-finalleg.org