Special Olympics’ Post

Special Olympics is not the ParaOlympics. I've been hearing a lot of 'You must be busy!' and 'Why aren't you in Paris?' (my thoughts exactly), though as the 2024 ParaOlympics wind down, I thought I'd make some distinctions between these games and the Special Olympics. Firstly, it's a common misconception that the two are the same. So common in fact, that it's the most popular blog post on the SO Australian site. Here are the facts: Special Olympics and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are two separate organisations recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Both are international non-profit organisations focusing on sport for athletes with disabilities. Special Olympics and the Paralympics differ in three main areas: 1) the disability categories of the athletes they serve, 2) the criteria and philosophy under which athletes participate, and 3) the structure of the organisations. The Special Olympics global mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and Autism, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Special Olympics offers many non-sports opportunities for people with an intellectual disability like leadership, lifestyle and healthy living programs. These programs help athletes develop the confidence and skills to be active and respected members of the community. Because Special Olympics Australia (and globally) struggle with building this awareness, we need your help in breaking down inclusivity barriers. If your organisation or company would like to partner with us and advocate for persons with ID and Autism, let's chat. In the leadup to our National Games and 50 year anniversary, it's an exciting time to be a part of SOA. https://lnkd.in/gGHi-8F3

Forbes shares three things we can learn from the summer paralympic games this summer in Paris. 1. Don't overdose on inspiration - while we can be inspired by their disabled athletes, let's focus on their commitment, their training and their achievements and less about their disability. 2. Paralympic sports provide lessons -- in achievement, adaptations and desire to be great in a sport that speaks to you. We can all relate to this. 3. Paralympic games are fun to watch - we all like to watch people achieve great things. This is true in both the Olympic games and Paralympic games. #DisabledAndCapable #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityCompetitive Andrew Pulrang | International Paralympic Committee https://bit.ly/3TWhYFY

"Never give up on your dreams, regardless of whether you have one leg or one arm. Believe that everything is possible. After 22 years of my career today I’m here at the Olympics." Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024 is showing that these are a Games Wide Open by telling the stories about disability inclusion taking place at the Olympics. There have been two Paralympic athletes competing in the Olympics. Both in International Table Tennis Federation - ITTF, both in the women’s team competition, and both with a limb impairment. Speaking to Associated Press, Bruna Alexandre, who became the seventeenth athlete in history to compete in both Games and the first Brazilian, said this: “I think this is a lesson about inclusion, both in Brazil and around the world. This can motivate other people with disabilities. And it can be inspiring for everyone on the Olympic side as well. When they watch me play, they see that everything is possible. It’s a win-win situation, and it can open a lot of doors.” Some great insight into Bruna’s journey, and also that of Australia's Melissa Tapper here https://bit.ly/4fuQxvL and here https://bit.ly/4dvrmHo Both will be back in Paris for the Paralympics hoping to create more history. #inclusion #accessibility #disability #Paris2024 #Olympics #Paralympics #GamesWideOpen

As the only international IT company with a specialized Sports and Major Events division, we supply cutting-edge tech for many of the world’s greatest sporting events. This includes the upcoming UEFA #EURO2024 and #Paris2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games, a collaboration spanning over three decades.   Among recent endeavors is our partnership with Special Olympics. I take immense pride in the contributions we're making to support the leading sports movement for individuals with intellectual disabilities (while the #Paralympics focuses on those with physical disabilities). Special Olympics provides training and athletic competitions for millions of participants worldwide – showing that sport can be a powerful force in empowering the underrepresented, dismantling barriers, nurturing respect and advancing equality.   Engaging with our counterparts at Special Olympics has emphasized how closely their mission – to foster acceptance and inclusion for all individuals - aligns with ours. Atos Tech Foundations prioritizes the creation of an atmosphere where everyone feels secure, esteemed, and recognized. We view this not only as a moral and societal obligation but also as integral to success. #ThrivingTomorrow 👉 https://lnkd.in/dSfX6ukE

This is a great post!! You can learn about the relationship Policing has with Disability Sport at our annual conference. Check out out the speakers and details on how to be there in person or online on Disabled Police Association website #DIP24

London 2012 put paralympic achievement in the spotlight; Birmingham 2022 put it centre stage; Paris 2024 showed again how spectacular it is. Nevertheless, Alex Mahon provides a reminder here of how much still needs to be done to achieve inclusive sport and sporting opportunities. The effort already has sporting heroes like gold medalists Grace Harvey and Ellie Simmonds (to name just two) and non-competing champions like Janet Warrington and Nicola Turner MBE, but will need everyone onboard to create opportunities for participation by the million or more youngsters currently missing out. What can you do to become a local hero and promote sporting opportunities for disabled people in your area?

Inclusion & representation is so important 👏

Special Olympics is not the Paralympics. I've been hearing a lot of 'You must be busy!' and 'Why aren't you in Paris?' (my thoughts exactly), though as the 2024 Paralympics wind down, I thought I'd make some distinctions between these games and the Special Olympics. Firstly, it's a common misconception that the two are the same. So common in fact, that it's the most popular blog post on the SO Australian site. Here are the facts: Special Olympics and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are two separate organisations recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Both are international non-profit organisations focusing on sport for athletes with disabilities. Special Olympics and the Paralympics differ in three main areas: 1) the disability categories of the athletes they serve, 2) the criteria and philosophy under which athletes participate, and 3) the structure of the organisations. The Special Olympics global mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and Autism, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Special Olympics offers many non-sports opportunities for people with an intellectual disability like leadership, lifestyle and healthy living programs. These programs help athletes develop the confidence and skills to be active and respected members of the community. Because Special Olympics Australia (and globally) struggle with building this awareness, we need your help in breaking down inclusivity barriers. If your organisation or company would like to partner with us and advocate for persons with ID and Autism, let's chat. In the leadup to our National Games and 50 year anniversary, it's an exciting time to be a part of SOA. www.specialolympics.com.au

The values that underpin the Olympics Games are excellence, respect, and friendship. According to the organizers themselves, these are elaborated as follows: 1. Striving for excellence and encouraging people to be the best they can be. 2. Demonstrating respect in many different manners: respect towards yourself, the rules, your opponents, the environment, the public, etc. 3. Celebrating friendship, which is quite unique to the Olympic Games – an event that brings people together every few years. The goal of the Olympics movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sports, practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. In light of the above lofty ideals, values, and principles, it is therefore both saddening and shocking that the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games featured a parody, to put it mildly, of The Last Supper. Reactions have ranged from it being in poor taste, mocking, disrespectful of Christianity, to outright blasphemy. The chagrin experienced by many was compounded when the organizers issued an apology that was half-hearted, insincere, and fell short of expectations. First, it was a gratuitous attack on a faith that is loved, respected, and cherished by close to a quarter of the global population. Second, there was also a strong element of hypocrisy and double standards, almost as if Christianity was perceived as a weak and easy target to be attacked, on the false premise of free speech, as consistency and responsibility respectively were thrown out the window. Third, it was clearly against the values espoused by the Olympics organizers themselves, in particular on respect, friendship, solidarity, and inclusivity. May this be a teachable moment for all of us to truly learn, internalize, and practise the values of the Olympics. For, in a world marked by division and tension, and religious harmony is of fundamental importance, these values are needed now more than ever before. #olympics #teachablemoment #values #publicpolicy (Image: Olympics)