Peace Corps helps organize Special Olympics in Uzbekistan
Special Olympics Uzbekistan Family event to be organised
28.11.2003 22:43
The Special Olympics Uzbekistan Family competition organised in conjunction with the International Day of Disabled Persons will take place at the Central Club of Officers (ODO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 30 November 2003.
This Competition is organised by Special Olympics Uzbekistan in cooperation with the State Sport Committee and with generous support from the United Nations (UN), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Central Asia Sports and Health Education Programme, United Nations Children´s Fund (UNICEF), Peace Corps Uzbekistan, UzPEC Limited, RWE NUKEM Inc., JV “Uz-Texaco”, Radisson SAS, Science & Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU), the local NGO “Children and Adults”, Embassy of Korea, Amako Bowling, JDA International, Inc., and Nestle.
More than 50 athletes and members of their families from five regions, as well as students from the Tashkent specialised schools and Tashkent Learning Centre, project of the World Concern, are participating in this event.
This is one of the competitions in a series of year-round sports trainings and athletic competitions for children and adults with mental handicaps. The Special Olympics, founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is the world’s largest year-round programme of sports training and competitions for individuals with mental handicaps. Through its sports programmes, the Special Olympics strives to provide long-term benefits to health, self-esteem and social integration of individuals with mental handicaps.
Nowadays more than 1 million athletes of the Special Olympics in over 160 countries participate in 26 Olympic-style summer and winter sports at local, national and international events.
The idea of the Special Olympics movement was brought to Uzbekistan by the US Peace Corps in early 2000. With the support from the State Sports Committee, Special Olympics Uzbekistan was officially accredited as a Programme with Special Olympics International in April 2001 and registered as an NGO in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan in July 2001.
So far the Special Olympics Uzbekistan movement is staffed by volunteers among school teachers, coaches, and parents. Despite financial and organisational problems impressive progress has been made during the last two years. Due to the support of business and international organisations athletes of Special Olympics Uzbekistan have participated in many events both at national and international levels.
Richard Conroy, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan, has paid tribute to the commitment and hard work undertaken by Special Olympics Uzbekistan and is hoping of further growth and development of the organisation, its athletes, their families and communities.
“Sport trainings to prepare participants for this event are in progress. I am filled with joy and satisfaction when I see excited faces of the training participants while they are getting prepared for the upcoming Family Competition. And the fact that not only special athletes, but also their family members are taking an active role in this competition, makes this event even more meaningful and joyful for everybody”, said Dmitriy Adisman, the President of Special Olympics Uzbekistan.
