Kenya: Plans afoot to Send First Team to Special Winter Olympics

By Henry Neondo

NAIROBI--Plans are underway by the Special Olympic Kenya to send a Kenyan team of disabled persons to the world special swimming contest in Puerto Rico in September, African unified football tournament in Johannesburg in October and the Special Winter Olympics in South Korea in January 2013.

According to officials at the Special Olympics Kenya, the SOK Board is set for major fund raising activities beginning July to ensure that the plans come to fruition.

Even as plans for fundraising are at advanced stage, SOK has started moving round the country to identify quality people able to represent the country.

Joshua Agare, who represents athletes to the SOK Board, said the Board has kicked off the activities by organising health screening exercises in various parts of the country.

To begin with, the SOK is holding screening for health of the disabled persons around the country. Last Saturday, it was the turn of Kitui where with the support of the Lions Club International, the SOK held medical camp at the Kitui Special School in Kitui town for those residing in Eastern province.

The move was aimed at providing vital health services to intellectually disabled persons of Kitui town and its environs.

Joshua Agare, an athlete representative at the Board said the screening is one of the way SOK ensures that these athletes stay healthy and ready for the competitions.

Athletes were checked for eye sight, dental health, and general body health. The athletes’ guardians and parents were also advised on nutrition.

From the screening, the disabled will then be identified in various sports disciplines and put under the care of special coaches trained in various divisions of special Olympic.

Agare said that besides offering medicare to the potential Olympic participants, the screening will also help identify high ability individuals able to catch whatever they are taught quickly.

Concentration in the past has been in football, volleyball, handball, and track events. But now, SOK wants to include basketball, swimming, golf, tennis, badminton, horse riding since these games are now fully integrated into global Special Olympics.

The SOK plans to conduct five screenings this year at the end of which they hope to have identified the right candidates that would represent the country to the Special Olympics and other games planned for the year.

For the winter Olympics, the SOK is targeting only two provinces as the Board feels the time might be too short to go round the country to identify and prepare for the games.

John Makathimo, a member of SOK said going round the country may deny SOK time to adequately prepare for the games. Because of this, the SOK will only be targeting Nairobi and Coast and will be looking for high ability individuals—fast to catch on what they are taught.

Things needed are air tickets, accommodation, winter cloths, and winter game uniforms.

Three percent of Kenyan population has intellectual disabilities.

According to the Special Olympics Kenya, only 27,000 athletes have been registered and are being prepared to become life and sports champions.

Agare points to stigma and discrimination from families who have continued to hide their disabled children from public limelight.

“This has been influenced by the perception of shame that the mothers may face when a child comes out and be part of the initiative,” he said.

Mr. Boniface Makewa, the Headmaster of the Kitui Special School said it was not easy to bring over 250 children on Saturday for the course because of the discrimination and stigmatization that surrounds the lives of children who are disabled.