40 Belizean athletes will travel to China in October to represent Belize in the world summer Olympics. But this won’t be the regular summer games, it will be the Special Olympics and it is the first time Belize will be participating since 1995. In addition to the Special Olympics, the athletes are also preparing for the Central American Games scheduled for September of 2007. Today we stopped in on a practice session.
Keith Swift Reporting,
You wouldn’t know it by looking at them run but these are children with disabilities. This week they are at boot camp – doing drills – as part of preparations for the Special Olympics. 12-year-old Travis Major from Stella Maris School and 12-year-old Zarisa Parchue from Dangriga both suffer from cerebral palsy and both will compete.
Akintade Atkens, Director – Special Olympics
“They will be going to the first Central American games which will be in Guatemala and they will participating in the walking event; 15 meter walk to be precise.”
Keith Swift,
It’s amazing to me that these kids are able to participate in an Olympic event.
Akintade Atkens,
“One thing that people should understand about persons with disabilities is that if you give them the necessary training, under proper conditions, and if it is passed to them in a designed kind of way, they always have their own ways of assimilating. It is not that they can’t understand but they have their own pace at which they could actually learn things.”
13 year old Christin Rhaburn and Jaamal Cherrington both also think they will bring home gold for Belize.
Christin Rhaburn, Participant
“I will do the 100 meter running and 200 meter.”
Jaamal Cherrington, Participant
“I will be participating in the 200 meter and 800 meter running.”
Jamaal and Christin – along with all of these other athletes are working with coach Wilfredo Petillo. He says these are special kids and they need special training.
Wilfredo Petillo, Coach
“It is a little bit hard due to the sense that you will need to pick up and understand them a little bit more because these are children with special needs.”
Akintade Atkens is the national director of the Special Olympics.
Akintade Atkens,
“This campaign exercises that we are having here today, as a matter of fact it started from Sunday and will be running for one week, is part of our ongoing preparations towards preparing them for the first Central American games which will be taking place in Guatemala from the 26th of September to the 6th of October of this year and the Special Olympics World Summer Games which will be taking place in Shanghai China from the 26th of September as well to the 15th of October.”
The summer games in Shanghai, China will be held from October 2nd to the 11th.
