The UAE athletes with intellectual disabilities say sports and being part of the Special Olympics movement has given them confidence and belief in themselves to take on challenges outside the sporting arena. It all started when 7,500 athletes from 190 nations came to Abu Dhabi for the 2019 Special Olympics World Games.
This was the first time the games were held in the Middle East and spotlighted the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities. Five years later, teenage Emirati athletes and young expatriates with disabilities reveal how sports has been the driving force helping them excel in areas they never imagined possible from speaking at global conferences to being a TEDx speaker.
“Sports made me feel more confident in myself. If I had not participated in sports I wouldn’t speak like this or be an MC,” said Almezin Jasim, 17, who has won National medals in badminton and has autism. The Emirati keeps her composure on stage by remembering how she stays calm on the badminton court. This was evident when she took the microphone to deliver the opening remarks and warmly welcome hundreds of policymakers at a Special Olympics Global Centre conference in Abu Dhabi.
Ms. Jasim plays badminton with a classmate without disabilities at her school Aisha Bint Abi Baker that is among 195 Unified Champion Schools as part of a nationwide program to inspire change with inclusive sports. “I will tell parents honestly that special needs kids are capable of doing anything,” Ms Jasim told The National. “I’m an MC, I play badminton, I have autism. This (disability) does not define who you are as a person. I will study in university after high school. I would love to tour the world, and learn about other cultures.”
A Special Olympics athlete Alyazia Al Mansouri said she earned her place as a defender on the football field playing in a unified team alongside athletes without disabilities. “Football makes me happy,” said the 16-year-old Emirati pupil from Abu Dhabi’s Umm Al Emarat school who also spoke at the conference. “It is my hobby, it’s good for my future. Sport makes me comfortable. I get the courage to speak.”
Aarti Shah’s first big speech was at the 2019 World Games in front of thousands and being part of the event propelled her to take up sports. She has since won medals in national and international powerlifting competitions, is a TEDx speaker, and has Down syndrome. “Now every single day I work out. Powerlifting transformed me. I’m getting stronger, losing weight, gaining more muscle mass.” Like Shah, citizens and expatriates with and without disabilities are signing up for unified sporting events.
Shah’s coach Hollie Murphy said the discipline that sport demands gives athletes the strength to shine off the field. “Sports unlocks so many other attributes. They learn how to be a leader, communicate with others, work as a part of a team, learn how to win and lose, manage emotions through good and bad times,” said the founder of Heroes of Hope, a non-profit group that organizes sporting events for people with disabilities.
Source – The National
