Every other year, the top athletes across the globe compete on either the winter or summer Olympics. These athletes are the cream of the crop in their selected sport. Beyond the traditional Olympics, there lies a different type of Olympics, consisting of some very unique and talented athletes. Special Olympics is for athletes around the world with intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics was started by Eunice Kennedy Shrive in the 1950’s and 60’s. She created Special Olympics because she found that people with intellectual disabilities were not being treated fairly. She also fund that children with such disabilities didn’t have a place to play. With these thoughts on her mind, she did the only thing to do, take action.
The Special Olympics mission is “to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.” There are over 170 countries with active programs and more than 4.4 million athletes involved.
Sports available include those similar to the regular Olympics; figure skating, gymnastics, speed skating, and football (soccer) are just a few. In total, there are over thirty sports for Special Olympic athletes to participate in.
The R-Word campaign was March 4 of this year. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness of just how offensive the word “retard(ed)” is. Over 500,000 people have pledged online to “spread the word to end the word.” This campaign, along with Special Olympics, is trying to raise awareness and respect for those with intellectual disabilities.
Every year, Special Olympics also raises money with their annual Polar Plunge. Plungers must raise 75 dollars and then wade into a lake during March. On Saturday, March 7, the plunge in Springfield took place. There was as the Super Plunge, where plungers must raise 2,500 dollar and get into Lake Michigan once an hour, for 24 hours. Many individuals in the Jacksonville community and also JSD 117 have participated in these fundraisers.
Special Olympics strives to allow athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports. The organization not only takes action in the US but also across the globe. With their hopes to end the use of the r-word, and having people “freezin’ for a reason,” Special Olympics is certainly a unique and powerful organization.