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Special
Olympics Africa > Skill
“Special
Olympics Games teach us that when people with disabilities gain skill
and confidence, we all win from their abilities. When Special Olympics
athletes from America meet their counterparts from China and Botswana,
people all over the world are enriched. And in this century, we have
only just begun.”
William J. Clinton,
Forty-second President of the United States of America
Special Olympics is the
world's largest program of sports training and athletic competition for
children and adults with intellectual disabilities: it currently serves
more than 2.5 million persons with intellectual disabilities in more
than 200 Programs in more than 165 countries.
Sports
Special Olympics offers
training and competition opportunities in 30 Olympic-type sports for athletes 8 years or older of all ability levels. These
include 6 official winter sports, 21 official summer sports and 3
recognized or nationally popular sports.
Special Olympics sports
cater for athletes of all ability levels and include events and
modifications that would otherwise have precluded athletes of a lower
ability level.
The fundamental difference that sets Special Olympics competitions
apart from those of other sports organizations is that competitions are
structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar
ability in equitable divisions.
In this way all athletes are encouraged to participate, and every
athlete is recognized for his or her performance.
The Special Olympics
Sports Rules govern all Special Olympics sports competitions worldwide.
As an international sports movement, Special Olympics has created these
rules based upon rules from International Sports Federations and
National Governing Bodies. International Sports Federations and
National Governing Bodies rules are employed except when they are in
conflict with the Special
Olympics Sports Rules. In those cases, the Special Olympics Sports
Rules shall apply.
Athletes between the ages
of 2 and 7 years are encouraged to participate in the Young Athletes Program™
whilst athletes with profound disabilities are catered for in the Motor Activities Training Program
(MATP).
Advancement
To advance to a higher
level of competition in a particular year, an athlete must have
participated for a  minimum of eight weeks
in an organized training program in the sport or sports in which he or
she is entered for higher level competition. A planned regimen of
training under a volunteer coach, teacher or parent is considered an
organized training program.
In addition, an athlete
must advance from a lower level of competition in the same sport to the
next appropriate level based on their performance in their division
rather than elite qualification.
World Games
Since the first Special
Olympics World Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, USA in July 1968,
the event has grown to become one of the world's leading athletic
events. Every two years, thousands of Special Olympics athletes from
around the world come together to showcase their athletic skills and
celebrate the spirit of Special Olympics.
Alternating between
Summer and Winter Games, the Special Olympics World Games is a
world-class sporting event featuring intense competition and inspiring
performances by the great athletes of Special Olympics. The most recent
World Games include:
2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games
(Dublin, Ireland)
2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games
(Nagano, Japan)
2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games
(Shanghai, China)
2009 Special Olympics
World Winter Games (Boise, Idaho) see www.2009worldgames.org
Coaches
Special Olympics is
indebted to the thousands of volunteer coaches around the world who
provide the sports skills and spirit that define a true athlete. In
addition, coaches are role models and character builders, giving
Special Olympics athletes the most immediate awareness of their own
worth, ability, courage and capacity to grow and improve.
Special Olympics coaches often find that the personal rewards received
are equal to or even outweigh the benefits they offer the athletes.
Special Olympics coaches have a unique opportunity to work with
athletes in competitive situations to assist in their training for life.
Officials
Officials are the key to
high quality competition as they ensure adherence to the rules and safe
competition, and are necessary to ensure the integrity of the sport.
Officials provide voluntary services during competitions and are
selected based on their National Governing Body certification, Special
Olympics certification and / or their officiating experience. In this
manner, partnerships with national federations play a key role in the acceptance of Special Olympics
athletes within the sporting fraternity.
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