Special Olympics Zimbabwe, provides year-round sports training and the opportunity for competition in Olympic-type sports for adults and children with intellectual disabilities.
Where?
- Other Initiatives:
Global: Special Olympics today operates in 165 countries around the world.
Zimbabwe Programme: Special Olympics in Zimbabwe is managed by its National Director, Mrs Bonny Woodman, and National Sports Director, Mr Mike Mazonde.
Athletes: In Zimbabwe we have more than 2,000 athletes participating regularly in programmes operated by subcommittees in eleven centres: Harare, Kwekwe, Kadoma, Gweru, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mutare, Marondera, Hwange, Bindura and Norton.
Volunteers:
All coaching is carried out by volunteers accredited by the National Sports Director. Volunteers are critical to our programmes they give their time and skills to help the athletes.
Sports: The Zimbabwe programmes offer the following sports: soccer, athletics, swimming, golf, bocce (a form of bowls), floor hockey (indoor hockey, played with a puck, like ice-hockey lots of fun!).
Selection: Sports competitions are scheduled in the subcommittee areas, and National Games are held to choose teams to represent Zimbabwe at the international Games every four years.
Achievement: Zimbabwe Special Olympics has participated in all the Summer Games since joining the world organization in 1987, and in two Winter Games. Our team at the last Games, in Ireland in June 2003, numbered 50 athletes and 20 coaches and they brought home 10 Gold medals, 4 Silver and 5 Bronze.
Reward: Special Olympics is rewarding in a way that few other sports can match: all those involved coaches, organizers, families and other volunteers see athletes achieving something they have never achieved before: pride. Pride in their own performance however modest, it is their best effort and they are congratulated and applauded for it. Sometimes they must be comforted in defeat, as well, and this too is a new experience for them: to be disappointed by defeat means to want to improve and win next time and these, for the most part, are people who have been made to think that they can never win, they can never excel and be proud. It is immensely satisfying and rewarding to help them experience excellence and pride, often for the first time in their lives.
Fun: Above all, Special Olympics is fun, fun for the athletes, fun for their families, fun for the volunteers.
