The mission of Special Olympics is to provide a year-round programme of sports training and competition for people with a learning disability, giving each person, regardless of their ability, the opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
BACKGROUND
Special Olympics was founded in the USA in 1968 and now has programmes in more than 150 countries throughout the world.
Special Olympics Great Britain was established in 1978 and annually caters for over 7,000 athletes. It has 600 registered coaches and 2,000 volunteers actively and regularly taking part in England, Scotland and Wales.
Special Olympics GB is a Registered Charity (no. 800329).
SPORTS TRAINING AND COMPETITION
Special Olympics seeks to provide the highest possible quality of coaching and competition for its athletes. Athletes are able to choose which sports they would like to participate in from a range of more than twenty-six summer and winter sports.
Special Olympics world games are organised every two years, alternating between summer and winter games. At the 1999 World Summer Games, GB was the largest team from outside the USA, with 147 athletes competing in fourteen sports. In 2003 the World Summer Games was held in Dublin and SOGB sent a team of 260.
Special Olympics GB organises national summer games every four years. In the intervening years local, regional and national single-sport competitions are staged. SOGB also has the opportunity to enter teams into European Special Olympics events.
STRUCTURE OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS GB
The majority of Special Olympics training and competition is organised by a network of more than 130 locally based groups. Groups also affiliate to one of ten regions in England (corresponding to the Sport England Regions), eight regions in Scotland or to Special Olympics Wales.
WHAT MAKES SPECIAL OLYMPICS SPECIAL?
All Special Olympics competition is ‘banded’. This allows all athletes the opportunity for achievement based on their own level of ability. This philosophy is carried right through to the selection of teams for international events, where all athletes and not just the elite have the chance to be chosen to represent GB.
Special Olympics therefore gives opportunities for athletes with a learning disability of all ability levels. Apart from the normal Special Olympics programme in team and individual sports, Special Olympics also offers Unified Sports to promote the inclusion of athletes with a learning disability into mainstream sport, and the Motor Activities Training Programme for people with profound or multiple disabilities.
EMPOWERMENT
Special Olympics is committed to the process of empowering people with a learning disability and is seeking to involve its athletes in decision-making processes at all levels of the organisation. Special Olympics also provides opportunities for its athletes to qualify as sports leaders, coaches and officials.
PARTNERSHIPS
Special Olympics GB is committed to working in partnership with other agencies to further promote opportunities for people with a learning disability.
OUR GOAL IS CLEAR
To involve 5,000 new athletes, 1,000 new volunteers and 400 new coaches by the end of 2006, and to raise £1 million to fund this aggressive growth. This will enable us to appoint a much-needed regional development structure at grassroots level, including appointment of regional development officers to support our indefatigable volunteers and increase awareness of our programme and the abilities of those with learning disabilities. We want to increase outreach to schools and universities, both mainstream and learning disability, and promote attitudes of acceptance and inclusion of people with learning disabilities in the community.
For further information please visit www.specialolympicsgb.org or contact the National Development Office at 18 Grosvenor Gardens, London SWIW ODH. Telephone: 020 7824 7800. Fax: 020 7824 7801. Email: karensogb@aol.com