Special Olympics advocates for inclusive sport events

Special Olympics Africa president Charles Nyambe says they use sport to drive positive change for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Through sport, prevailing prejudice towards people living with disabilities can be addressed, he says.

This is why Special Olympics athletes will form part of the upcoming African Union Sport Council Region 5 Youth Games scheduled for Windhoek and Swakopmund from 4 to 13 July.

The games will see young athletes from 10 southern African countrties competing in various sport codes such as athletics, basketball, football, volleyball, swimming, boxing, judo, eSport, karate, table tennis and tennis.

Speaking to Desert FM recently, Nyambe said by bringing change through sport, people will learn and understand the reality of these athletes.

“If you don’t have the facts, these athletes are feared. The moment you get the facts, then you understand.

“We found out that when we expose them [athletes with disabilities] on the field to participate and play sport, people see them and say, ‘wait a minute, look at how they are performing, they are performing as good as everybody else,” Nyambe explained.

“The attitude began to change, bringing in these officials and decision-makers to the field to see and witness for themselves.”

Nyambe said including athletes with disabilities into mainstream sport events should be the norm rather than an option.

The majority of these athletes hail from remote areas and are often ostracised by society because of their disabilities.

“Our role and responsibility is to ensure that they receive the sport education, social and health needs that everybody enjoys,” Nyambe stressed.

“It is because they don’t have facilities and resources. Our role is to educate first through sport for development, sport for education and sport for social change,” he continued.

Nyambe said family members do not bring these athletes out in the open, and further highlighted the causes of intellectual disabilities.

“If you look at the causes of intellectual disability, they are numerous and are prenatal, natal and postnatal.

“Prenatal is when a pregnant mother drinks alcohol, and the child is born with an intellectual disability. It is not the child’s fault. The child does not deserve to be treated that way,” noted Nyambe.

“Those with intellectual disabilities, you really do not see them compared to those with physical disabilities. Intellectual disability is a hidden population. The World Health Organisation reports 3% of every population has people with intellectual disabilities.”

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