With a view to the World Summer Games, which will take place from June 17 to 25 in Berlin, Special Olympics Mexico began activities to form the delegation that will represent the country in that competition.
Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics is the world’s largest movement for people with intellectual disabilities (pcd), with the purpose of integrating them into society as useful and productive citizens, in a framework of acceptance, equality and respect.
Currently, it has programs in more than 195 countries, incorporating more than 5.7 million athletes. In Mexico, according to a statement from the organization, it has a presence in 27 states.
From 1988 to date, 14,555 athletes with intellectual disabilities have participated in the National Games.
What does it consist on?
Sports training and competition: continuous training for special athletes in 25 Olympic-type sports and 1 Exhibition, divided into three major areas:
- Summer sports: track and field, basketball, badminton, bocce, bowling, cycling, soccer, rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, powerlifting, swimming and open water swimming, speed skating, figure skating, tennis, table tennis, horse riding, volleyball and softball.
- Winter sports: floor hockey, floorball, figure skating, speed skating, skiing and snowboarding.
- Exhibition Sports: synchronized swimming
- Unified Sports: unites athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team. Throughout the year in a variety of sports ranging from basketball to golf to figure skating, unified sports athletes improve their fitness, sharpen their skills, challenge the competition and have fun too.
Healthy Athletes: is a health program that seeks during a single event; detect, diagnose and refer Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disabilities, generating awareness of inclusion in the health sector, and giving athletes greater opportunities to perform at their best.
Healthy Communities: health program that seeks to expand the impact of health services and technology towards people with intellectual disabilities, through permanent alliances with health institutions.
Families and Family Support Network: program that promotes the participation of families of athletes in the different activities of the movement. Additionally, families receive information and guidance through the network.
Young Athletes: is a sports and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities from 2 to 7 years of age, which introduces basic sports skills such as running, kicking and throwing.
The program offers families, teachers, caregivers and people in the community the opportunity to share the joy of sport with all children.
Leading Athletes: is a leadership program to learn the opinions of athletes in relation to roles they would like to play in the organization, offering them various opportunities for participation.
Motor Activities Program (MATP): designed for people with significant and/or severe intellectual and/or physical limitations who do not yet have the necessary physical and/or behavioral skills to participate in sports.
Inclusive Leadership: Put an end to discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities with young people between the ages of 15 and 26 as spokespersons, where they show the strengths of athletes, to break institutional, cultural and personal stigmas.
Any and all children, youth, and adults with intellectual disabilities can be Special Olympics athletes, although they must be over eight years of age to participate in competition.
It is not a high performance sports program, but the different divisions group the athletes according to their level of sports skills.
Unlike the Paralympic Games, also recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Special Olympics welcomes all athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete in 30 sports.
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