周三早上，在新奥尔良备战2007年腰棋橄榄球世界杯的10支球队参加了一项当地的公益活动。

　　来自奥地利、加拿大、中国、英格兰、日本、韩国、墨西哥、西班牙、泰国和美国的12至14岁青少年携手当地孩子，在NFL青年教育城共建起一个国际花园。在花园里，每个国家的球队都种下代表他们自己国家的花，并在四周装饰上本国的国旗。等参加腰棋橄榄球世界杯的球员离开之后，新奥尔良的孩子们可以院子里进行一次世界之旅。

　　来自北京首师实验中学的于晨（音译）表示："在卡特里娜飓风过后，我们国家的每个人都为新奥尔良所遭受的破坏感到震惊，我们很高兴能做点事情这些人们。我们种下了来自我们国家的一些植物，在我们离开后，能够让这里的人们欣赏我们建造的花园，这非常不错。法国区很棒，有很多东西值得一看，不过也可以看到当时在这里的一切是怎么被飓风毁坏的。对当地的孩子来说，这里是好去处，也是玩耍的好地方。"1993年，NFL决定向超级碗主办地的孩子们捐赠一百万美元，以建立第一个MFL青年教育城，这项课外设施帮助社区恢复希望和发展。新奥尔良NFL青少年教育城遭遇了卡特利纳飓风以及洪水的严重破坏，新奥尔良圣徒队灾后重建起到了很大的作用。

　　在青少年教育城中心，腰棋橄榄球世界杯的球员与当地的青少年一起玩游戏。加拿大代表队给了当地的孩子们一些指导，并和新朋友们进行了一场腰棋橄榄球的表演赛。

　　"我们遭遇了腰旗世界杯的第一场失利，我们输给了这帮新奥尔良小孩。"教练马特·希尔（Matt Hill）开玩笑说，"能见到所有不同的文化，特别是能在这些孩子的家乡与他们打球，这是一段美好的经历。我还记得电视上到处是水的画面，不过现在，我们现在所见的是灾后的情景以及人们为度过难关所做的努力。那些仍在拆除的损坏建筑可以让你想象这里曾经发生过什么。"

　　周四，第八届腰棋橄榄球世界杯将在位于梅泰里耶的新奥尔良圣徒队训练场开打。每组前两名将进入半决赛，胜者将在周五下午3点半，在圣徒队与布法罗比尔进行季前赛之前，在路易斯安那超级穹顶球场进行决赛。

原文　　

NEW ORLEANS, LA - The ten teams preparing for action at the NFL Flag Football World Championship (FFWC) in New Orleans got their hands dirty for a good local community cause on Wednesday morning.

The 12 to 14-year olds from Austria, Canada, China, England, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and the United States worked with local children to build an international garden at the NFL Youth Education Town. Each team planted a different flower that represents their country and decorated their space in the garden with their home flag. Long after the FFWC players leave, New Orleans children will enjoy a tour of the globe right in their backyard. 

“After the hurricane everyone in our country was shocked to see the devastation in New Orleans, and it is good to do something to help these people,” said Yu Chen from Beijing’s Shoushi Shiyan Middle School.

“We planted some plants from our country and it was nice to build a garden for people here to enjoy after we have gone. The French quarter is very nice and there are many things to see, but you can see here in this area how everything has been destroyed. This is a cool place for the local kids to come and play.”

In 1993, the NFL created a permanent legacy of the Super Bowl for the children in the host community by donating $1 million towards the development of the first NFL Youth Education Town, an after school facility that would restore hope and growth in at-risk neighborhoods. The New Orleans NFL Youth Education Town suffered substantial damage at the hands of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed. The New Orleans Saints were instrumental in funding the rebuilding effort and helped restore the building and lost resources. 

Inside the YET Center, the FFWC players joined local youngsters to play pool, air hockey and foosball. Canada’s representatives gave some coaching tips and played an impromptu game of flag football with their new friends.

“We just suffered our first loss of the tournament against these New Orleans kids,” joked coach Matt Hill. “To see all the different cultures, especially to be playing around with these kids in their home, it was a great experience. I just remember the images on TV where all you saw was water, but now that we can see the aftermath and what they went through. With some buildings still torn down and damaged it really opens your eyes to what happened here.”

The eighth annual FFWC kicks off at the New Orleans practice facility in Metairie on Thursday, August 9 at 8am and resumes on Friday, August 9 from 8am to 12pm. The top two teams emerging from group play will contest the championship game at 3.30pm on Friday before the Saints take on the Buffalo Bills in the Louisiana Super Dome.