The Special Olympics

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What Are The Special Olympics?

The Special Olympics were officially created in August of 1968, but there were many events that led up to its creation. Many of the events that led up to the creation were because of the Kennedy family. The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation was founded in 1946, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, JFK's sister, took over the foundation in 1957. When John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960, he made intellectual disabilities a priority. More focus and funding went into researching intellectual disabilities. Between 1960 and 1964, there were many advancements in research. 

In 1964, more attention went to physical activity and recreation for those with intellectual disabilities. Summer camps were started which included physical exercise activities based on research that showed that physical activity had positive effects on children with intellectual disabilities. Eunice Kennedy Shriver wanted to create year-round programs to provide physical activity all year. In July 1968, the first Special Olympics was held, and in August 1968, it was officially incorporated. 

The 1968 games took place in Chicago. There were over 200 events included in the games. Some of the sports were swimming, hockey, and track & field. There were also skill clinics for the athletes that they participated in between the events. The Special Olympics village was in a hotel and provided food and a place to relax for the athletes. The games allowed those with intellectual disabilities to participate in events that they may never have had the chance to do before. The beliefs surrounding intellectual disabilities began to change and became more positive. The Special Olympics helped to show that those with intellectual disabilities are not helpless or incapable. 

 Today, there are over 5 million athletes and 100,000 games per year in the Special Olympics. There are 32 sports and 190 countries that participate. Every state and the District of Columbia have their own Special Olympics programs. Every two years the Special Olympics World Games are held in a different place where all Special Olympic athletes come together to compete. The Special Olympics also aids those with intellectual disabilities with receiving quality healthcare, support for families, programs for kids, and education on intellectual disabilities. The Special Olympics are a separate event from the Paralympics, but there is debate over whether athletes with intellectual disabilities should be able to participate in the Paralympics. 

The Special Olympics and The Paralympics

The Paralympics have a classification for athletes with intellectual disabilities, so they can complete. However, there were cheating scandals in the past that caused the IPC to put more restrictions in place. An article from France24 states that in the Tokyo Paralympics, there were only three sports that athletes with disabilities could compete in. In the Beijing Winter Paralympics, there were none. One of the biggest scandals happened during the Sydney 2000 games, where the majority of the Spanish basketball team had faked an intellectual disability. Due to this cheating scandal, the IPC did not allow any intellectual disability to compete in the games until the London 2012 games. Athletes with intellectual disabilities had only been able to compete in the Paralympics starting in 1996, so intellectual disabilities have not been included in many Paralympic games. Even now, there are strong restrictions on who can be classified and limited sports they can compete in.

Should the Paralympics Allow Athletes with Learning Disabilities to Compete?

In my opinion, athletes with intellectual disabilities should be able to compete in the Paralympics. Mental disabilities still have many stigmas surrounding them, which most likely affects this situation. There is a belief that these invisible disabilities are not real or valid, however, intellectual disabilities are just as valid as physical disabilities. Intellectual disabilities still affect people in their everyday life just as physical disabilities do. The cheating scandal made the situation much worse as there is no toleration for cheating, especially in events of this magnitude. 

Other disabilities have not been banned after cheating scandals. The Irish Times wrote an article quoting Mencap, a disabled campaign group. The chief executive of the group called out the Paralympics for discrimination against athletes with learning disabilities. He brought up the point that these athletes worked very hard to make it to the Paralympics, only to have had it taken away by something that was not their fault. I think it is unfair to punish athletes with disabilities due to the actions of some. While I do understand taking precautions due to how awful and unfair cheating is, I think there are better and more fair precautions to take. 

Classification is tricky in many instances as many of the disabilities can be faked or dramatized to get an advantage over competitors. However, rules can be put into place to ensure credible medical records so cheating cannot happen. I think prohibiting all learning disabilities from competing is wrong and unfair to athletes with learning disabilities. Some athletes may not want to participate in the Paralympics, but I think it should be an option for those who do. 

References

France 24. (2021, August 31). Athletes with intellectual disability battle for paralympic space. France 24. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210831-athletes-with-intellectual-disability-battle-for-paralympic-space

The Irish Times. (2004, September 9). Paralympics 'discriminating' in athletes ban. The Irish Times. Retrieved April 8, 2023, from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/paralympics-discriminating-in-athletes-ban-1.989675 

Special Olympics. (2018, September 13). Out of the shadows: Events leading to the founding of special olympics. SpecialOlympics.org. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.specialolympics.org/about/history/out-of-the-shadows-events-leading-to-the-founding-of-special-olympics?locale=en 

Special Olympics. (2020, November 4). 1968 games. SpecialOlympics.org. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.specialolympics.org/about/history/1968-games?locale=en

Sports eligibility for U.S. athletes with Intellectual & developmental ... (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2023, from https://athleteswithoutlimits.org/downloads/awl_overview_sports_eligibility.pdf