picture from:www.usma.edu/dcomm/pv/030516/SpecialOlympics.htm
Recently the Winter Olympics and the Paralympics have taken place taking everyone’s attention but now Australia has hosted the Special Olympics which is a national competition for athletes who have a disadvantage called intellectual disability.
All of the Athletes that compete in the Special Olympics have an intellectual disability which means they can find it difficult if they haven’t got support when doing some things and it takes longer to teach them. The Special Olympics give people with disadvantages the opportunity to compete in their favourite sport.
Ben who is 11, enjoys sailing, he’s been on the water since he was only five years old and this will be hi first year at the Special Olympics. Ben suffered from brain tumour when he was young and has had lots of operations since then. One year he had to have surgery ten times but since then he sails with his dad who has won lots of trophies and there’s a bit of competition between them because they have the same amount of five.
All the action doesn’t only take place on the water. There’s ten pin bowling, athletics, equestrian and lots more. People from all over the country come and compete against each other to try and do well to get a place in the world championship to represent Australia.
That opportunity is one that has been a goal for a soft ball team. Players from Tasmania Gary and Craig have won a gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2008. It gave them the opportunity to travel the world and play sport. Earlier on when the team had been made up they didn’t know what a bat or ball was and they didn’t know that they had to run around the bases. The team are working hard to get a place in the world championship and that is what they have been practising for years.
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