Caribbean gov’ts called to partner with Special Olympics

GOVERNMENTS IN the Caribbean are being urged to partner with Special Olympics in their respective countries for a united effort to assist individuals in the region with intellectual disabilities.

The call was made at a forum on Wednesday morning that involved administrators of Special Olympics Caribbean and sports ministers of several countries within the Caribbean.

According to Executive Director of Special Olympics Caribbean, Lorna Bell, with the support of governments, the Caribbean can be an example to the world of a united approach to achieving success in the Special Olympics community.

Bell stated that limited success has been achieved in some regional countries through government partnerships.

These include a new Special Olympics programme in Antigua and Barbuda, the setting up of a board to reactivate Guadeloupe, and Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago getting a fully furnished office.

She said that the partnership has worked in Jamaica, where an agreement has been signed since 2005.

“We are asking the ministers of sports to have governments partner with the local programme. It’s because of the partnership that Special Olympics Jamaica signed with the Government of Jamaica that they can have 14 programmes, serving some 4,000 persons with intellectual disabilities.

“Ministers, Special Olympics is asking you to work with us by supporting the athletes with intellectual disabilities so that everyone will be given a chance and no one will be left behind,” Bell urged. “This movement is more than sports. It’s all about changing lives.”

President of the Caribbean Olympic Committee, Brian Lewis, who also heads the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, argues that the Caribbean community has failed individuals with intellectual disabilities, who he claims are marginalised and underserved.

“It is very important, ministers, that we focus on the importance of collaboration, cooperation, and integration. It is very easy to pay lip service to the sustainable development goals on everything that countries sign over time,” Lewis said.

“Governments come, governments change, and truth be told, it’s not everyone who has the same passion, commitment, and feelings for the challenge they face by, in this case, those with intellectual disabilities.

“The fact that Special Olympics allows those with intellectual disabilities, through the power of sports, to build self-esteem, self-confidence, to become and feel part of the society, is to their credit. We need in the Caribbean to do more, to show and stop telling and talking,” Lewis said.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Olivia Grange, impressed on colleague sports ministers the need for governments to play an active role in helping individuals in the region with intellectual disabilities through Special Olympics Caribbean.

Grange said the importance of a united approach in the Special Olympics movement is critical in this coronavirus (COVID-19) era, especially with sports being an important part of the social fabric of the region.

“Sports can effectively provide the platform, provide that vehicle, provide the voice and the opportunities for persons with intellectual challenges to contribute to national development. We acknowledge that many persons who are intellectually challenged have no obvious or visible signs at times, and they are placed at greater risk.

A PLATFORM THAT CELEBRATES DIVERSITY

“The importance of messaging is, therefore, key as sports is a platform that highlights and celebrates diversity and promotes sport for all. Sports provide the platform for social and economic mobility for individuals and families,” Grange said.

Barbados’ Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Dwight Sutherland, said that individuals with intellectual disabilities have been contributing to the development of the region in several areas.

“We recognise that unity is strength as a region, and we are focusing on fostering deeper relations with Caribbean nations so that we can be united as we face the world in Special Olympics, other forms of Olympics, and other forms of sports development.

“The only difference between persons living with disabilities and Special Olympics persons are their intellectually challenged nature, but they are very intelligent and bright persons, and they, too, form a major role in the development of the territories, whether socially, economically, or environmentally,” Sutherland said.

Kester Edwards, from Trinidad and Tobago, outlined how he has been a key part of the Special Olympics movement worldwide despite being diagnosed with intellectual disabilities at six years old. He said he was in a bike accident that placed him in a coma for three weeks.

Edwards started as an athlete but has since served in several senior roles, including health leader, sport developer, and global advocate.