‘Abu Dhabi Special Olympics will break down stereotypes’
abu dhabi — The Special Olympics World Games 2019 to be held in Abu Dhabi will ‘breakdown stereotypes’, one of the leading athletes said during the fourth edition of the International Conference of Sports for Women (ICSW) in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Loretta Claiborne, Special Olympics icon, said her mission for World Games 2019 is to spread inclusion for people of determination beyond sports and into society as a whole. She noted that the Special Olympic had influenced her life in a big way and hoped Abu Dhabi 2019 will change perception about people of determination.
“The best thing about it (Games 2019) will be that it will breakdown stereotypes,” said the first Special Olympics athlete elected to the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.
“A wise one is the one who goes out not just to sit down and look, but to take action and get out of their box,” added the 10-time medalist who was born partially blind.
There were many extraordinary stories told on the day.
Inspirational figure Raha Moharrak, youngest Arab and first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest, said she is drawing strength from common person who led extraordinary lives.
“The people who have a passion to go beyond the realms of what is possible are those that inspire me the most. If I had to choose one, it would be my parents. They could see my eccentricity and they were afraid and nervous, but they loved me anyway and they gave me an abundance of acceptance and love,” she said during the panel discussion on ‘The Making of a 21st Century Role Model: The Rise of Sports Women in the Arab World’.
During the session on ‘Sport across Generations: Opportunities and Challenges’, 86 year-old Sister Madonna Buder ‘the Iron Nun’ urged the audience to never give up.
“My grandfather taught me that quitters never win, and winners never quit,” said the oldest record holder in ironman triathlons. “Never lose your inner child, don’t grow up,” she told youngsters.
The two-day Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy initiative saw good turnout of students and athletes. The event has promoted Academy’s vision for sports to become a part of the daily life of all Emirati women. ashwani@khaleejtimes.com