Latest news with #RecreationandParksDepartment
IOL News
2 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Cape Town's initiative for World Drowning Prevention Day educates families on water safety
Attendees received practical advice on responding to drownings, engaged in interactive water safety activities led by experienced lifeguards, and some of the children in attendance also got to explore the lifesaving equipment. Image: Theolin Tembo While the Cape Town weather may have been cold and gloomy, lots of children were making sure to enjoy the last day to the fullest at the Long Street Indoor Swimming Pool baths, where the city's Recreation and Parks Department commemorated World Drowning Prevention Day. The initiative sought to raise awareness about drownings and highlight the city's ongoing dedication to reducing drowning incidents through its Drowning Prevention Programme. In Cape Town, over the 2024/2025 season, there were 14 lives lost to drowning, which has come down over the last couple of years. Several Bo-Kaap grandmothers brought their grandchildren and used the opportunity to listen to the expert's educational talk about World Drowning Prevention Day, in particular emphasising child safety. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Attendees received practical advice on responding to drownings, engaged in interactive water safety activities led by experienced lifeguards, and some of the children in attendance also got to explore the lifesaving equipment. Parents were urged to actively engage whenever children are around bodies of water to help prevent drownings. Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, said it is incredibly important to raise awareness around it as Cape Town does experience a lot of drownings, particularly in the summer season when the beaches are busiest. 'Events like this and our Learn-to-Swim programmes are so critical to ensure that people know how to be safe in the water. It is important that parents and guardians bring their children to our Learn-to-Swim program so that they can make the most of the opportunity - they are free to the public. 'You just need to find your local swimming pool and take part," Higham said. 'We've had some of the senior citizens from the Bo-Kaap, and some of our parents, and little ones. It is important that our seniors and parents take note of drowning prevention and our programmes, as this is how we save lives at the end of the day.' Several Bo-Kaap grandmothers brought their grandchildren and used the opportunity to listen to the expert's educational talk about World Drowning Prevention Day, in particular emphasising child safety. Pictured with them were city officials and lifeguards. Image: Theolin Tembo Naseba Edwards, one of the senior citizens from the Bo-Kaap, said that the programme is terrific and that they should have it more frequently if they can support it, as it gives the children a lot of courage. 'Most of them are scared to go into water, but they are enjoying themselves. (We're wondering) How are we going to get them out of the water? I think this was a very good idea, and that they should keep on with it.' Asa Williams, 66, from the Bo-Kaap Daycare Centre, said that they enjoyed being there to witness the initiative. 'I brought my own two grandchildren with me, and they are in the water, and they don't want to come out. Actually, from us ladies, I think this was a terrific idea. And like Naseba said, they've got to do it more often.' Zakeya Masoet, 76, from the Bo-Kaap, said the initiative was very interesting to witness because 'before children go into the water, they must be water-aware'. 'You can drown just by falling into the water, and to me it was very interesting. The programme today was very interesting to witness because I've never seen a lifeguard saving someone from drowning. It could be my life also, so I will learn from this.' Higham added that some of the seniors indicated they can't swim, but that the Learn-to-Swim programmes are open to anyone regardless of age. 'Anyone who wants to take part, we encourage them. Some of our staff are also learning how to swim, so it is never too late.' Masoet added: 'At my age, I can still learn. You're never too old to learn.' Higham said that people can still apply to be seasonal lifeguards. Every year, the city recruits hundreds of seasonal lifeguards as part of its summer readiness initiatives to ensure the safety of thousands of people who visit municipal pools and beaches across the metro. Based on its recruitment processes, the city enlists its chosen lifeguards and splits them into four categories - the beach lifeguard, senior beach lifeguard, swimming pool lifeguard, and senior swimming pool lifeguard - to cover its various water recreational facilities every season. All candidates undergo competency testing during the selection process and must have a clean criminal record with no pending charges against them.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Gunfire disrupts anti-violence rally at crowded Boynton Beach park, wounding three women
Gunfire broke out at a Boynton Beach park during a "Peace in the Hood" rally on July 5, wounding three women, police said as they continued to search for the shooters. About 500 people, many of them children, attended the rally at Sara Sims Park. It called for an end to gun violence, but organizers did not obtain a permit before staging the event, police said. The initial investigation showed that rival gang members began firing at each other, catching attendees in the crossfire, police said. Officers found one woman suffering from a gunshot wound to her femur. Dispatchers reported that two other women went to hospitals in private vehicles, one with a gunshot wound to her leg and the other with a wound to her hip. Bullets also struck several vehicles, both occupied and unoccupied, and other victims sustained minor injuries and received treatment at hospitals or at the scene from Boynton Beach Fire Rescue. From the courts: Florida family in limbo as autistic son faces felony charge for Trump TikTok threat Investigators say the event's organizer reportedly submitted a special events application on June 17 to Boynton Beach to host an event titled "Stop Violence Awareness" for about 20 attendees at Sara Sims Park, on Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Boulevard west of Seacrest Boulevard. One week later, the Recreation and Parks Department notified the organizer that the permit had been denied. The city refunded the organizer's money the same day, which the organizer acknowledged via email, police said. City documents show that a suburban Lake Worth Beach woman applied for the permit. Attempts to reach her for comment on July 8 were not successful. The city documents also show that a Boynton Beach police captain advised against approving the permit due to staffing concerns related to the Fourth of July holiday. More: More than 90 Palm Beach County schools got As from state in 2025. How'd your school do? A department spokesperson said the organizer likely won't face any citations. To date, police have not announced any arrests in connection to the shooting incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sean Steele by emailing SteeleS@ or by calling 561-742-6148. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Three women shot during anti-gun-violence rally at Boynton Beach park
Straits Times
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Los Angeles 2028 unveils Olympic competition schedule, marks PlayLA milestone
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Organisers said the schedule will continue to be refined, with a more detailed breakdown to be released later in 2025. LOS ANGELES – Organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on July 14 released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule, highlighting a historic reshuffling of key events and the most ambitious sports line-up in Games history. The announcement comes as the city marks three years to go until the opening ceremony and celebrates a major legacy milestone: more than one million enrolments in the PlayLA youth sports programme. For the first time in nearly three decades, the Summer Olympics will return to the United States, with Los Angeles hosting for the third time, after 1932 and 1984. The 2028 Games are set to feature 844 ticketed events designed to maximise both domestic and international viewership. Organisers revealed that the Opening Ceremony will take place on July 14, 2028, at 8pm local time, split between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The closing ceremony is scheduled for July 30 at the Coliseum. In a notable departure from tradition, the LA28 schedule swops the usual order of athletics and swimming competitions. Track and field events will open the Games in the first week, with swimming moving to the second week, culminating in its finale on the penultimate day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The first Olympic champion of LA28 will be crowned at Venice Beach in the triathlon event, while the marathon will close out athletics on the final weekend. Day 15 is expected to be the busiest for medal events, with 16 team sport finals and 19 individual sport finals taking place. 'The Olympic competition schedule has been meticulously developed to ensure the world's best athletes can compete in LA,' LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement. 'We are energized by today's milestones and remain focused on the work ahead as the Road to 2028 continues.' Organisers said the schedule will continue to be refined, with a more detailed breakdown to be released later in 2025. 'When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighbourhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy,' LA Mayor Karen Bass said. Meanwhile, Hoover joined city officials on July 14 at an event at the Coliseum to celebrate PlayLA surpassing one million programme enrolments. The initiative, backed by up to US$160 million (S$205.1 million) in investment from LA28, the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and the IOC, provides affordable and inclusive sports programming for children aged three to 17 across more than 40 Olympic and adaptive sports. Meanwhile, in Winter Olympics news, the Russian Luge Federation (FSSR) said it will take legal action over a decision by the sport's global governing body to bar the country's athletes from the qualifying process for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games. The International Luge Federation (FIL) voted at its congress in Tampere, Finland in June to extend an existing exclusion for Russian athletes from its competitions. It also voted to not authorise a programme for neutral Russian athletes. The FSSR said in a statement on July 14 it had notified the governing body of its intention to challenge the decision in international courts. The FSSR told Russian news agency TASS it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 'We will defend the rights of our athletes to participate in the Olympic Games 2026,' FSSR President Natalia Gart said. The FIL did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment. The International Olympic Committee said in May that Russian teams remained banned from the 2026 Games as part of sanctions following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Four Russian figure skaters in men's and women's singles have been approved by the International Skating Union to try to qualify for the 2026 Olympics as neutral athletes. REUTERS
Yomiuri Shimbun
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
La28 Unveils Olympic Competition Schedule, Marks Playla Milestone
LOS ANGELES, July 14 (Reuters) – Organizers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on Monday released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule, highlighting a historic reshuffling of key events and the most ambitious sports lineup in Games history. The announcement comes as the city marks three years to go until the Opening Ceremony and celebrates a major legacy milestone: more than one million enrolments in the PlayLA youth sports programme. For the first time in nearly three decades, the Summer Olympics will return to the United States, with Los Angeles hosting for the third time after 1932 and 1984. The 2028 Games are set to feature 844 ticketed events designed to maximize both domestic and international viewership. Organizers revealed that the Opening Ceremony will take place on July 14, 2028, at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT), split between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for July 30 at the Coliseum. In a notable departure from tradition, the LA28 schedule swaps the usual order of athletics and swimming competitions. Track and field events will open the Games in the first week, with swimming moving to the second week, culminating in its finale on the penultimate day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The first Olympic champion of LA28 will be crowned at Venice Beach in the triathlon event, while the marathon will close out athletics on the final weekend. Day 15 is expected to be the busiest for medal events, with 16 team sport finals and 19 individual sport finals taking place. 'The Olympic competition schedule has been meticulously developed to ensure the world's best athletes can compete in LA,' LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement. 'We are energized by today's milestones and remain focused on the work ahead as the Road to 2028 continues.' Organizers said the schedule will continue to be refined, with a more detailed breakdown to be released later this year. 'When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighbourhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy,' LA Mayor Karen Bass said. Meanwhile, Hoover joined city officials on Monday at an event at the Coliseum to celebrate PlayLA surpassing one million programme enrolments. The initiative, backed by up to $160 million in investment from LA28, the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and the IOC, provides affordable and inclusive sports programming for children aged 3-17 across more than 40 Olympic and adaptive sports.
Dubai Eye
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
LA28 unveils Olympic competition schedule
Organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on Monday released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule, highlighting a historic reshuffling of key events and the most ambitious sports lineup in Games history. The announcement comes as the city marks three years to go until the Opening Ceremony and celebrates a major legacy milestone: more than one million enrolments in the PlayLA youth sports programme. For the first time in nearly three decades, the Summer Olympics will return to the United States, with Los Angeles hosting for the third time after 1932 and 1984. The 2028 Games are set to feature 844 ticketed events designed to maximize both domestic and international viewership. Organisers revealed that the Opening Ceremony will take place on July 14, 2028, at 8:00 PM ET (12:00 AM GMT), split between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for July 30 at the Coliseum. In a notable departure from tradition, the LA28 schedule swaps the usual order of athletics and swimming competitions. Track and field events will open the Games in the first week, with swimming moving to the second week, culminating in its finale on the penultimate day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The first Olympic champion of LA28 will be crowned at Venice Beach in the triathlon event, while the marathon will close out athletics on the final weekend. Day 15 is expected to be the busiest for medal events, with 16 team sport finals and 19 individual sport finals taking place. "The Olympic competition schedule has been meticulously developed to ensure the world's best athletes can compete in LA," LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a statement. "We are energized by today's milestones and remain focused on the work ahead as the Road to 2028 continues." Organisers said the schedule will continue to be refined, with a more detailed breakdown to be released later this year. "When the world comes here for these Games, we will highlight every neighbourhood as we host a Games for all and work to ensure it leaves a monumental legacy," LA Mayor Karen Bass said. Meanwhile, Hoover joined city officials on Monday at an event at the Coliseum to celebrate PlayLA surpassing one million programme enrolments. The initiative, backed by up to $160 million in investment from LA28, the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and the IOC, provides affordable and inclusive sports programming for children aged 3-17 across more than 40 Olympic and adaptive sports. — LA28 (@LA28) July 14, 2025
