Paralympics Games Differ from Special Olympics

Two Different Disabled Sports Programs, One Winning Goal

Apr 27, 2009 Mary King

The Paralympics Games feature world class athletes. The Special Olympics Program invites children and adults mentally disabled to participate at any level of ability.

Paralympics and Special Olympics are athletic programs for people with disabilities. The two are often confused in that the names are used interchangeably by persons unfamiliar with disability sports events. There is no overlapping between the two programs; the merits of each are clearly defined.

Paralympics Games and Athletes

Paralympics is a highly specialized and organized sporting event that features the topmost disabled athletes from around the world competing in adapted versions of Olympic events. Second only to the traditional Olympic Games – the largest sporting event in the world – Paralympics athletes are the best in their individual sports fields.

The Paralympics Games take place three weeks after the summer and winter schedule of Olympic Games. The events are held in the same host city, and participants use the same facilities as the able-bodied Olympic athletes. The games are divided into six categories:

Wheelchair
Amputee
Blind or Visually Impaired
Intellectual Disability
Cerebral Palsy
Les Autres (French word for "the others" meaning those who don't fit into the other five categories.)

Paralympics athletes must adhere to the same disciplined regimen as those athletes that compete in the traditional Olympic Games. Shmuel Ross of The Fact Monster Web site, "Paralympics" explains the governing body of the Paralympics Games: "The Paralympics are coordinated by the International Paralympic Committee, founded in 1989 ... which is the only international organization representing all sports and disabilities."

Additionally, the Fact Monster Web site offers a sneak preview of what fans can expect at the 2010 Winter Paralympics Games, "The 2010 Winter Games will feature events in Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey, and Wheelchair Curling."

The Athletics World Championships in Berlin (1994), marked the first year that athletes having a mental disability could participate in a Paralympics event. In 1996, the "Intellectual Disabilities" category appeared in the Atlanta Paralympics Games for the first time. (Rempel, Helga, EnableLink Web site, "The Circle is Broken")

Athletes with mental disabilities can now compete alongside other elite athletes with physical disabilities; however, it should be noted that those athletes mentally challenged are also world class participants. Athlete Kendall Bailey has multiple disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. He's also one of the fastest breast stroke swimmers in the world. Bailey competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Special Olympics

The Special Olympics movement is a well-known and highly respected program for child and adult athletes having intellectual disabilities. The program is open to all applicants that are mentally challenged, no matter what the level of athletic ability. Competition in Special Olympic events is tough, and the movement recognizes all participants as winners. Spectators often come away with the same winning feeling as the participants. But the victory does not end when the crowds go home. People with mental impairment can accomplish all sorts of goals when given the opportunity.

Sensitivity and understanding aren't the only concepts Special Olympics teaches the world. Celebrated Special Olympics athlete Loretta Claiborne went on to compete in twenty-five marathons, including two Boston Marathons. Loretta is mildly retarded, but that hardly defines the young woman who speaks four languages and holds honorary doctorate degrees, to name just a few of her outstanding achievements. Claiborne is not alone; many other Special Olympic athletes have gained the confidence and recognition to empower themselves and those around them.

As clearly explained on the Special Olympics Web site, the article, "Fostering Inclusion and Acceptance" states, "Part of the Special Olympics mission is educating people about the dignity and gifts of all people, not only those who have intellectual disabilities." And, "Special Olympics is working in nearly 200 countries worldwide to open the minds of all people to the gifts and talents of people with intellectual disabilities."

One Win for All

Paralympics athletes train and compete in adapted hard-core athletic events like those seen in the traditional Olympic Games. Spectators and fans should be aware that Paralympics athletes with mental impairments are also highly-skilled world-class competitors.

The Special Olympics program welcomes both children and adults with intellectual disabilities, inviting them to compete in events no matter what the skill level. Inclusion, tolerance, and empowerment are but three of the many lessons the Special Olympics movement teaches.

As people with all types of disabilities continue to participate in sports, inclusion becomes less of an issue. Paralympics athletes and Special Olympics athletes compete in different programs; but whether on a world-class level, or in an inclusion program, all the players have one big win in mind: To finally be accepted as productive talented individuals who are considered valuable assets to the world population.

The copyright of the article Paralympics Games Differ from Special Olympics in Disabilities is owned by Mary King. Permission to republish Paralympics Games Differ from Special Olympics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.