Category: Sports Bar
On FTP, I was in a conference about games with about 3 other people. Others came later. We were discussing sports and I brought up a subject that has been nagging me since last night. That is the Special Olympics. Everyone in the forum agreed with me on this, and I hope you all do too. I think that as visually impaired people, we have a tendency to become inactive and unenthusiastic because we don't get to be in sports. We all felt that the SO was discriminating against disabled people because they only allow mentally disabled people in. Now, when I brought this up, everyone said yes they are. You know why? Because the SO would raise the self-esteem of a lot of VI kids and physically handicapped kids. Plus, we would be competing. I think our disabilities are the cause of us not being allowed to compete. They are questioning our abilities and a bunch of us felt we were being pushed to the limuit because we were all very, very angry. Here's the question. Should blind, VI, and physically handicapped compete alongside the competitors in the SO? I would like to hear your opinions.
yes, i agree with you jd, we should be able to compete.
Hi,
Well, I'm a very competitive person even though I probably don't seem that way.
I believe that whoever thinks they can compete should go right ahead and try.
I've been wrestling, and playing Goalball for years, and I've gotten countless allstar awards. None of my compititions were just with visually impaired people either. So, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Wrestling Champion, and Goalball allstar. Have no vision.
Ryan/Goldberg
Why not aspire to compete in the "real" Olympics? I compete in rowing regattas where, as far as I know, I'm the only blind rower. True, I have yet to bring home some metal, but, that's my limited aerobic capacity, not my broken eyes:).
-Dave
How do you know they would take blind people in the real Olympics?
Isn't that what the para lympics are for?
Ride_man: I don't know whether they would or wouldn't take blind people in the "real" Olympics. If a blind person were to qualify, I wonder whey they'd do? Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near ready for them. For that matter, whold the Good Will Games, Pan-american Games, Gay Games, do with a qualified blind person?
i'm with midnight princess on this one! what on earth are you going on about? the para lympics are for people with all disabilities. now i don't know if by the "special olimpics" you mean the same thing or not but it really isn't important! the point is that there is an olimpics tournament held every 4 years just after the mane olimpic games in which people with all disabilities are welcome to try out for!
in short, stop moaning about your lack of inclusion and get your trainers on!
Ride_Man: If we were allowed to compete in the S.O, we would have a superior advantage over the mentally disabled athletes,and that would be deemed by many, to be grossly unfair to them...Also I feel that using the excuse of our disability is a cop out..our normal or higher cognative function prevents us from being included.this attitude is also demeaning to the 1,000's of blind/vi & physically disabled athletes, who are sweating buckets daily, in the hope of 1 day competing in the paralympics
Ride_man, wow, what in the world are you going on about. Special Olypmics are not really "olypmpics" they are games for the physically handicapped/challenged (whatever you call it) they are much less competitive and more of a demonstration of their capabilities. This is not meant in a demeaning way at all and some of the events are competitive in those games but many of them are not. I believe they are held every year and are just a completely different level from the real olympics.
There is no exclution from the real olympics as long as you meet their dead lines and your host countries dead lines. The Hungarian guy who was the olympic record holder for 400m medley (swimming) 1988 and 1992 and possibly 1996 (not sure) was technically visually impaired, a great swimmer and he beat the rest of them. The aparllymppic games are the olympics for the disabled. They included races for the mentally handicapped people in 1992 and 1996 (well in 1996 actually not sure about 1992, I think not that year at least Iceland did not send any m.h. people) but decided not to do it in 2000 and to keep those games separate, I'm not sure why but I think it was an organizational detail. I competed in 1992 and 1996, trained 8 to 12 times a wek for 3 hours every time. The standard is high, it's very hard to get in and you just got to be bloody good. Thse are olympics, this is the highest achievement an athlete can get to during his training and should remain so for everyone with full metnal capability. The parallymipcs are there for the physically disabled if you get good enough to compete in the olympics then that fine too. The games are held in the same place with the same staff and only a week after the other games close. (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004). I participated in 1992 and 1996 and I have friends who also participated in 2000 and 2004 and the standards are constantly going up for these games and they are truly becoming a professional and hugely compettive event so get your trainers on and work out like there's no tomorrow and see where that gets you.
Good luck man
-B