Special Olympics

Receiving only a fraction of the column inches of other major sporting events, the Special Olympics brings together thousands of athletes with a learning disability. Thomas MacMahon finds out more

From the 21st to the 29th of June 2003, the largest sporting event in the world took place in Ireland, as more than 7000 athletes with learning disabilities from 150 countries competed in 21 sports. The 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games required 30 000 volunteers and represented one of the largest volunteer effort in Irish history.

Kennedy family idea

The Special Olympics has grown enormously since Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President J F Kennedy, founded it in the United States in 1963. The movement is not the same as the Paralympics--which are only for elite athletes with physical disabilities--but is open to all athletes with any form of learning disability, giving them an opportunity to develop and display their talents and abilities. The aim is to encourage society to replace pity with acceptance and respect. Officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1988, more than a million athletes are currently in its training programmes around the world, and organisers hope to double this by 2005.

The Special Olympics opens in a blaze of indescent glory

Social and cultural event

Over three days, athletes and their coaches, families, and supporters flew in to Ireland's main airports, which reverberated to a cacophony of 52 different languages. In the week before the games, each delegation stayed with one of the 177 host towns around the island, both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic, to acclimatise and relax.

In retrospect, this was one of the most successful aspects of the games, and underlines the fact that although the Special Olympics is primarily about sport, it also has a strong social and cultural aspect. It was almost too successful; athletes were nearly exhausted from the whirlwind of events laid on for them. Many tears were shed when the time came to move on to Dublin for the competition.

Experience of a volunteer

I was one of at least 1000 other volunteers; I was based at the venue for five a side football. I had decided not to join the medical team because that role would not have given me much opportunity to meet the athletes. And the fact that my medical knowledge is less than extensive had something to do with it too.

Working in the staging department instead, I was assigned to a team for a day and had to bring them through the dressing rooms to the pitches in time for each of their matches. This meant that I got to know groups from countries as diverse as Norway, Uganda, and Kazakhstan. The relationships that we built were for many, including myself, the highlight of the games. Impartiality went out of the window as we loudly cheered our players on, and anyone who wondered if the athletes could really play football was emphatically answered. So competitive were some of the matches that the first aid teams were kept busy. They found the language barrier was less of a problem than they had feared. But trying to assess the widely varying baseline conditions of athletes to rule out concussion was far more difficult.

The experience taught me that a learning disability is often not easily identifiable. I had only really considered Down's syndrome and similar conditions as examples of this form of disability, but they are at the more profound end of the spectrum. Many of the athletes had milder disabilities that were not noticeable. Furthermore, the mild nervousness that I had felt when around those with a learning disability has been overcome as my ignorance of the issue has reduced.

Anyone for table tennis?

Free eyewear for all

In the breaks between matches, we found time to squeeze in regular social events. Special Olympics towns allowed athletes from different teams and sports to mingle and try out new activities, from Irish dancing to croquet. More importantly, free health screening was also available, including hearing, vision, and dentistry. This programme is necessary because a third of all athletes are in need of new eyecare prescriptions and a quarter have problems with their sight. All athletes passing through receive either free prescription glasses or designer sunglasses, with corrective surgery arranged in their home countries, if required, by the International Lions' Club.

Far too soon, the nine days of competition were over and the teams were returning home after the emotional closing ceremony. For those left behind, we had the feeling that what we had seen was probably true sport. None of the athletes will get lucrative sponsorship deals, prize money, or fame, but by striving to achieve their personal best they showed that disability is not about inability.

A legacy

Some cynics worry that the issue of learning disability will be forgotten again now our attention has moved on. But in reality, eyes were opened and fears overcome once people began to focus on the abilities of the athletes. A programme, involving primary schools in a pioneering crossborder curriculum, brought learning disabilities and Special Olympics into the heart of the community. People were also filled with the spirit of volunteering. People who never considered volunteering before have realised how fulfilling it can be and want to stay involved.

However, although it may have been a defining moment in Irish society, there is still much to do globally. The 2003 World Summer Games were significantly larger than Manchester's Commonwealth Games last year, but received only a fraction of the column inches. The scant coverage in many countries indicates that both apathy towards and ignorance of learning disabilities are still widespread. The Special Olympics movement tries to address this through sport, but even though one million athletes are involved, this is a tiny proportion of the 170 million people worldwide with learning disabilities. The vision of a single woman started the movement, but with successive games, tens of thousands more share in that vision--so roll on Shanghai 2007. To find out more, visit: www.specialolympics.org

Thomas MacMahon second year medical student, University College Dublin
Email: tomacmahon@hotmail.com


studentBMJ 2004;12:1-44 February ISSN 0966-6494