Special Olympics important too

Often, when the national sporting configuration is being shaped, discussed and institutionalized, very little attention is paid to Special Olympics (SO).

Except for the self-interest and internal public relations done by the local organization, much effort is not expended in ensuring that SO gets its fair share of recognition.{{more}}

It is true that the local organization, like others, went through a period of reduced activity. However, within the last five years, there has been a resurgence of interest and fervour in the Special Olympics programme.

But the SO St Vincent and the Grenadines chapter has been able to hold its own regionally and internationally.

Not one to blow its own trumpet or even tout its horn, SO here has attained accolades which other sporting disciplines have chased without success.

Entering the fray in 1983 at the International Summer Olympic Games which was held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, the four athletes then were able to secure seven medals.

All in track and field, St Vincent and the Grenadines attained two gold, three silver and two bronze in its first outing.

Four years later, the six athletes won 10 medals (four gold, three silver and three bronze), achieved when the games were held in Raleigh, North Carolina. Upping the tally in 1991, the team won 12 medals (four gold, five silver and three bronze), attained in track and field, five-a-side soccer, swimming and bocce.

Then, in 1993, St Vincent and the Grenadines participated in its first International Winter Games in the sport of floor hockey, placing second at the Games, which were held in Salzburg, Austria.

The watershed year came in 1995 at the Connecticut Games, when 15 medals were won in the disciplines of track and field, five-a-side soccer, swimming and bocce.

In 1997 in York, Canada, St Vincent and the Grenadines won their first gold medal in floor hockey.

At those games, the coach, Woodrow Williams, and player, Terrance Dublin-Davis, were voted Caribbean Coach of the Year and Athlete of the Year respectively.

Having not participated in the 1999 games, St Vincent and the Grenadines returned in 2003 in Northern Ireland, with the largest ever team of 20 athletes, accompanied by six officials. Fifteen medals were St Vincent and the Grenadines’ returns. The tally of medals included three gold, six silver and six bronze.

There have also been some accolades for personal accomplishments by Dublin-Davis. He was voted the Most Outstanding Athlete of the Caribbean Special Olympics, which afforded him the opportunity to go to Orlando, Florida, to speak at a Gala Dinner on “Why Special Olympics is important and why companies like Florida Caribbean Cruise should support such a cause.” More recognition came for St Vincent and the Grenadines and for Dublin-Davis, who, in 2005, was called upon to represent Special Olympics Caribbean in Panama at the World Leadership Conference.

And, Dublin-Davis was called upon to be Caribbean’s athletes’ representative at a Special Olympics conference, held earlier this year in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Surely, Dublin-Davis must be one of those who was overlooked as a sporting ambassador, the last set of which were announced last October.

These are just some of the marks that SO is making for St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Now, the time has come for St Vincent and the Grenadines to make its return to the Summer Olympics, after a 10-year sabbatical, which will be held in Los Angeles, California, in the US, in July this year.

In examining the framework on which Special Olympics is built, there are many lessons to be learnt from the core values.

Learning to accept defeat with a smile, devoid of rancour and not deflecting blame on teammates and officials are positive traits of SO.

And, if only our so-called “normal” athletes were to embrace some of the tenets and values which are the mantras of Special Olympics, they too would certainly achieve more.

The best the Vincentian public can do at this juncture, is to support the efforts of the athletes and officials who are endeavouring to return to the world stage to show their wares.