Odds are “Dublin 2003” will not mean much to the average sports fan.
But to Special Olympians it means a lot as Dublin, Ireland was the location of the last Special Olympics World Summer Games.
The Special Olympics — often confused with the Paralympic Games — are for those people with intellectual disabilities, whereas the wider-known Paralympics involve physically disabled people.
The last Special Olympics Summer Games were not held in Athens 2004, alongside the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games, because the Special Olympics are never held in the same venue or at the same time as its better-known counterparts. This is discrimination and needs to be changed.
The cause of this inequity has been plaguing the Special Olympics organization for years.
Glenn MacDonell, director of the Ontario Special Olympics (one of the regional chapters of the international organization), thinks the reason may be because an intellectual disability is harder to categorize, so this group becomes marginalized among athletes and unrecognized by the public.
Physical disabilities include anything that restricts a person physically — an amputee or someone who is paralysed, for example.
An intellectual disability is less quantifiable, and can be loosely defined as an impaired ability to learn and understand new or complex information.
Since 1988, the city chosen to host the Olympic Games is obliged to also host the Paralympic Games. While the logistics and cost of hosting three separate Games is complicated, this obligation should extend to the Special Olympics.
Nagano, Japan was the first city to host the Special Olympics as well as the regular Games. But there was a seven-year gap between the 1998 Winter Olympics and 2005 Special Olympics.
Seven out of 10 people with disabilities have an intellectual, not physical impairment. So why are the majority of disabled athletes discriminated against?
Some say it’s a lack of funding, others argue a lack of organization. But the root of the problem is ignorance.
A Special Olympian may not be able to run the 100-metre dash in 9.84 seconds, or complete a cross-country ski course like gold-medal winner Beckie Scott, but they have a lot in common with Olympic-calibre athletes.
They have the drive, determination and will necessary to excel. Many Special Olympians train as long and as hard as athletes without disabilities, with the same dream of winning gold.
So to say that these athletes can’t compete on the same stage as their peers because their disability cannot be categorized is a form of discrimination.
Athletes with physical disabilities can speak for themselves. But Special Olympians often cannot stand up for their rights. They need more and better organized spokespeople to do this form them, and a society that will support their efforts through awareness and funding.
As MacDonell says, “You have to have congregation to have innovation.”
As nations cheer for their countries to win gold, watching the Olympics can be exhilarating. But that same feeling can be achieved watching a Special Olympian. To see their faces once they achieve their goal can be incredibly fulfilling.
It is time to put those experiences together, and allow the Special Olympics to take place in the Olympic host city.
That way the Special Olympics athlete’s oath can be shared with all athletes around the world.
“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”