The History of Special Olympics
The world has known the organization of outdoor activities to be an interesting venture that creates a symbol for sports for them. The Special Olympics are renowned in the world to be the most vital aspect that creates a base for the children and the adults who bear physical disabilities to get involved. The sports are forms of competitions within which the people involved enhance their skills after a full year of training and practice to perfect their skills. The Special Olympics tend to assume a national, local and even an international perspective of which the countries all over the world set to take part in.
Dating back in history in the year 1968, the international Special Olympics began with the education of a facilitator by the name Anne mcglone (Kennedy, 2002). This was the beginning of the basis within which the physical activities of the Special Olympics was founded with a close attention to a one time Olympics for the people with special needs. Anne the physical educator approached the leadership of the Joseph Kennedy, foundation to form a basis within which the activities would begin. Consequently the leadership of the foundation took up the idea of the Special Olympics with tenderness of mind and conclusively sought to be involved in the league.
It is then that the Olympics began with the kicking off of the games within which up to one thousand participants were involved to culminate the flagging off of the Olympics. During this first series of the games, the sister of the leader of the Joseph foundation underwent a series of trying times. During this time, her father was admitted into the curing of the mental illness due to a brain damage that had occurred. This was one of the inspirations to carry on with the plans of the launch of the Special Olympics. Going on to the year 1962, the head of the Joseph foundation by the name Eunice, began a camp within which the Olympics would take place (Winnick, 2011). This camp was specially meant for the children who had within themselves had intellect disabilities that had been inflicted within their development. This was the beginning of such a venture whereby the involvement of the physical activities was redefined to entitle competition among the members. Soon enough this became an activity that was annually inclined to the general public. The foundation was thus involved in the provision of grants to various institutions to promote the recreation of the departments and the community centers.
It is in the year 1971 that the United States took up into Olympics owing approval to coin the activity as Olympics for the physically challenged. The process of patenting this venture took place to found within it the first ever international Special Olympics of its kind. This activity was held in the year 1977 at Colorado in the United States (Rotatori, Obiakor & Bakken, 2011). It was an activity that was held during the winter times to enhance the use of the opportunity at large. Going on further, the year 1988 saw the acceptance of the Special Olympics by the world when the Olympics were first officially recognized by the committee holding the international Olympics. This went on to escalate the value of the Special Olympics into recognition into other countries in the world. The message was blooming to the nations and in the year 1997, the Special Olympics initiative saw the rise of health messages to the athletes across the nation come up. This availed the various screening mechanisms and the dispatch of information to the specially inclined people towards their plight on health.
The reverberation of the Special Olympics grew in the value of intensity to the people when the year 2003 saw the holding of the first ever special Olympics summer games (Rotatori, Obiakor & Bakken, 2011). This was interestingly held away from the United States in the country of Dublin in Ireland. During this time the number of athletes who were interested in participating increased to found almost seven thousand participants from all over the world. The participants faired from almost one hundred and fifty countries and had a variation of almost twenty various sections of the games. The value of this made the Olympics to bloom up to be one of the most renown activities ever participated in. in this case, the Olympics were aired all over the media on a one on one occurrence as to show their opening and closing ceremonies and were honored to be flagged by the president of Ireland. This was the beginning of the change of the manner of perception of the people to the Special Olympics.
The news of it spread out far and beyond creating an aspect of fame to the country Ireland for hosting the games as well as to the author of the idea of the games. Subsequently after the happening of these games, during the month of October 2004, the then president of the United States created, within him a law that was signed into the act of parliament of the United States. President Bush coined within the country the bill towards the founding of the athletes into the value of health and the information garnering into the value of expansion. This reckoned the moments in the year 2006 when the first Special Olympics national games was held in the city of Iowa (Winnick, 2011). The Olympics involved the participation of a high number of people with almost fifty teams from the District of Columbia participating.
Challenges within the Olympics structure came about as well especially with reference to the developmental breaking out of the volunteers of sports in the country. This was the influencing factors of the formation of a group dabbed spread the word to end the word came about. It was to give encouragement to the people on the plight of the Special Olympics. Today the Special Olympics continue to be upheld as one of the most vital aspects of change in the world. The Special Olympics movement declares within it the participation of the various stakeholders within the society. Many of the people who have come out strong to help out the growth of the foundation include foundations and coaches and well wishers who have actively participated to ensure the success of the Olympics. The death of the husband of the founder of the Olympics has not stopped the zeal to continue on the participation of the wife in the continuance of the vision and mission. Usually the Special Olympics take place in the month of July every year in the country of Greece. The participation of the athletes during this time is up to a minimum of 7000 athletes with almost 200 countries participating (Winnick, 2011).
References
Winnick, J. P. (2011). Adapted physical education and sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Rotatori, A. F., Obiakor, F. E., & Bakken, J. P. (2011). History of special education. Bingley, UK: Emerald.
Kennedy, M. (2002). Special Olympics: a true book. New York: Children’s Press/Scholasti
