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The second annual Jani International Sporting Event, JAIHO, included demonstrations by WIU's Badminton Club, European Handball Club and Fencing Club (see graphic above). The 2015 event will feature "beep ball," a version of baseball designed for the visually impaired, and is set from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, May 2 at WIU's Vince Grady Field.
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WIU's Third Annual Jani International Sporting Event, "JAIHO," May 2

April 14, 2015

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MACOMB, IL — Western Illinois University's third annual Jani International Sporting Event (JAIHO) "Beep Ball" is set from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, May 2 at WIU's Vince Grady Field. The event is open free to the public, and pizza and beverages will be provided. (If the event is rained out May 2, a rain date is scheduled from noon-4 p.m. Sunday, May 3 at Vince Grady Field.)

Those who attend can stop by and learn how to play baseball designed for the visually impaired, known as "beep ball," or register to compete in the tournament (teams of six-eight players). The tournament will begin at noon, and prizes will be awarded to the winning team.

Registration forms are available at the WIU Campus Recreation Office (located in the Donald S. Spencer Student Recreation Center) and are due by 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 27, to the Campus Recreation Office.

Sponsored by JAIHO, Campus Recreation, the Center for International Studies, WIU's Disability Resource Center and Students for Disability Awareness, the annual event is intended to provide a sports venue to promote international awareness and understanding between WIU and Macomb High School students and to engage the community at large.

JAIHO is made possible through a generous gift from the late WIU Professor Emeritus Subhash Jani, his wife Linda, and their family, who wanted to develop a program with enduring value that would incorporate their backgrounds, pay tribute to what made their family better citizens, promote town/gown cohesion, while "making our town a better place." The entire family favored the idea of fostering "collaborative competitiveness," something they all experienced and from which they all benefited.

"JAIHO" is Hindi for "May Victory Prevail," and the title of the Academy Award-winning theme song from the 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire." The Jani family felt it was an appropriate term for the sentiment of the event.

Participants come from the local and international communities of WIU and MHS, including those with special needs or disabilities. Staff in Western's Center for International Studies (CIS) oversees the event, which alternates between a U.S. and international sport or game, either indoors or outdoors, for the annual focus.

For more information, contact Dana Vizdal, assistant director of orientation and student activities in Western's CIS, at (309) 298-3743 or via email at DM-Vizdal@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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