Special Olympics Malta selects team for World Summer Games
38 athletes in six sport disciplines will represent Malta at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held in Athens, Greece between June 25 and July 4. The Special Olympics Malta athletes will compete for gold in the fields of athletics, aquatics, gymnastics, bowling, bocce, and football.
The Games represent the highest level of sporting competition for Special Olympics athletes in the world. 7.500 Special Olympics athletes from 185 nations will take part in this year’s games which promise to be an important sporting highlight. The Maltese athletes will be supported by a delegation of coaches, parents and helpers who will travel with the team to support and cheer them on as they compete in the historical home of the first modern-day Olympic Games. The delegation will also include three Vodafone employees – Desiree Bone, Alistair Vella Stiles and Roberta Pace, who will be giving their time and support on a voluntary basis.
During the press conference to announce the team’s imminent departure, Special Olympics Malta Director Anna Calleja said: “I am so proud of each and every one of our athletes who have been training hard to make our country proud. They have all shown great motivation, discipline and tremendous skill. The fact that they have gone this far is already worthy of celebration. The World Summer Games are a wonderful opportunity to witness and celebrate the abilities, courage and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities. I would like to thank The Hon Clyde Puli for his continuous support and our main sponsor Vodafone Malta Foundation for its dedicated support as well as our other sponsors, Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport, Megaline, The Good Causes Fund and the Voices Foundation. They have all spearheaded us into achieving more as an organisation.”
Parliamentary Secretary The Hon Clyde Puli wished the best of luck to the Maltese Athletes and stated that Government is committed to help Special Olympics Malta since it holds the values of social solidarity and social inclusion through sport. The Hon. Puli also thanked the volunteers which are involved in the logistics, training of the athletes and the sponsors who firmly believe in the benefits of this initiative.
Minister of Finance, Economy and Investment Tonio Fenech expressed his appreciation of the name that these athletes are giving Malta. “It is satisfying that through the Good Causes Fund we can help Special Olympics Malta in the preparations for the Special Olympics Summer and World Games to be held in Athens in Greece between June 25 and July 4, 2011.” He praised the athletes and coaches and the Maltese directors who have continued raising Malta’s profile in the international scene and expressed hope that their example will also serve to strengthen the culture of sports among the Maltese population.
“We wish the whole contingent all the very best at this world event,” said Martin Gregory, Head of Human Resources at Vodafone Malta. “We augur they will once again return to Malta with much-deserved medals as testimony to their dedication and hard work and as an example to others. We should all be very proud of them. We’re also delighted that three of our employees are availing themselves of Vodafone’s Community Service Leave Scheme to travel with the contingent. They are typical positive examples of Vodafone employees’ efforts to participate in the company’s social investment aims.”
Healthy Athlete Programme
During the press conference it was also announced that Special Olympics Malta will be adopting the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes – a non-sport programme to be launched during the World Games designed to help athletes improve their health, fitness and wellbeing.
Athletes receive a variety of health services conducted at Special Olympics competitions, while health care professionals learn about the health needs of Special Olympics athletes and participate by volunteering their skills. The Healthy Athlete programme is made up of seven disciplines: Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes®, Special Olympics Special Smiles®, Special Olympics Healthy Hearing, Special Olympics FUNfitness, Special Olympics Health Promotion, Special Olympics Fit Feet and Special Olympics Medfest.
Persons with intellectual disabilities experience the same general health effects as well as additional physical and psychological concerns secondary to their primary disability such as osteoporosis, poor physical fitness, oral health problems, and a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity. While many assume that health care for those with intellectual disabilities is comprehensive and effective, this is often inconsistent. It has been recognised that persons with intellectual disabilities are at increased risk for these preventable health conditions. Such health issues may cause significant barriers to Special Olympics athletes from reaching their full potential in Sports, in Education and in many other aspects of their daily lives.
This programme will help provide screening in areas where these are not always offered to persons with disability (bone density, biomechanical exams, specialised or adapted testing for persons with disability). The programme will allow free provision of individually fitted sports mouth guards, earplugs, hearing aids, prescription glasses, sports eye wear, protective sports goggles where appropriate and justifiable. The screening will contribute to referrals or recommendations for follow-up to local health practitioners and also provide proper clinical training for health care professionals and health care students about the needs of persons with intellectual disability.
Four Maltese specialists will be travelling to Athens with the delegation to undergo the necessary training as voluntary clinical directors of the programme. Orthoptist Martin Francalanza, speech therapist, audiologist and CAPD specialist Dr Nadine Calleja, nutritionist and physical activity trainer Lara Gerada and podiatrist and tissue viability specialist Omar Schembri will be joining 1,500 clinical directors from around the world and will assist in screening 7,500 athletes competing in the World Games.
With the support of the Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care and the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, the Malta programme will be launched next year with a screening event every year for athletes and prospective ones who wish to join the SO Malta community.
Special Olympics Europe works with half a million athletes in 58 countries across Europe, providing year round sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families and with other athletes.
