Flor & Mayra Meléndez: Special Olympics Impact Story

Flor Melendez He has dedicated his life to basketball. For more than six decades, the legendary leader has been in charge of some of the best basket players that this island has produced, both in historical franchises of the National Superior Basketball (BSN) and in the Puerto Rico National Team.

But, at 78 years old, his career took an unexpected turn when he received the invitation to mentor the coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams competing in the Unified 3×3 Basketball World Cup Special Olympicsheld at the T-Mobile Districtin San Juan.

“I received an invitation from them three months ago and I joined the group of coaches. In the three months that we were training, I helped the coaches and the athletes in making some teams and we are very happy with what is happening,” Meléndez shared in an interview with First Hour.

Players of the caliber of José “Piculín” Ortiz, José Juan Barea and Roberto “Bobby” Ríos have passed through the coach’s hands. In addition, he has 600 victories and three championships in the BSN, one with the Atlético de San Germán in 1985 and two with the Vaqueros de Bayamón in 1965 and 1996. With a resume like that, anyone would think that Meléndez has already seen it all in this sport, but the Special Olympics athletes have shown him that there is always something to learn.

“It’s something different from what I’ve done throughout my career because, when you lead a professional team, you normally talk a lot for the team, but here you have to talk to each child differently because of the way they are. Here you can’t shout too much and you have to take things calmly,” said Meléndez, who did not miss a game in the first two days of the Unified 3×3 Basketball World Cup. Special Olympics.

“For me it has been a pleasant experience. These children teach you because, despite their disabilities, they leave everything in training. Many of them are already in university and, even so, they come to practice after their classes and do not want to leave the field. That gives tremendous happiness to one as a coach”he added.

This event is the first World Cup tournament organized by Special Olympics in its 57 years of history. Inspired by the FIBA World Cup, the competition brought together 19 men’s and 17 women’s teams from 27 countries around the world. Each one is made up of athletes from Special Olympics and unified companions, that is, players without intellectual disabilities.

Meléndez understands that this contest represents “a great advance” for these athletes. However, he recognizes that there are still few spaces to train these players, whose lives can change through sport. For this reason, it is considered necessary to create unified leagues around Puerto Rico. This way, they would have an accessible space near them.

“I think that the Government is the one that has to get involved in this, especially the mayors and the municipalities. If we make leagues in all the municipalities, it will be easier. Germany and the United States are playing here, which are countries with a large population. We have to try to make leagues to choose children that we can prepare for events like this. That will depend on the country’s authorities,” explained the former coach.

However, Flor is not the only member of the Meléndez family who contributes to the movement of Special Olympics. His daughter, Mayra, is the executive director of the national Special Olympics for eight years.

“I have worked with the functional diversity community for many years. I worked for 15 years in the Department of Recreation and Sports, directing the division of adapted recreational services… This movement uses sport as a tool to transform the lives of these athletes and shows something beautiful. We always talk about the disabilities of people with functional diversity, but sport teaches the abilities and skills that our athletes have. I have fallen in love with this movement,” Mayra told this medium.

The executive director announced that the next thing will be the National Games Special Olympicsa competition that will bring together tournaments from 14 different disciplines in October 2026. The competition, which will take place in Ponce, will be a qualifier for the 2027 Special Olympics World Games.