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About
Us - History
The Special
Olympics Story
The Special Olympics movement began in 1963 by a Canadian Physical
Education Professor, Dr. Frank Hayden from London, Ontario. Dr.
Hayden's research with people who have an intellectual disability
proved that they were capable of motor activities and fitness levels
far beyond what had previously been thought. Dr. Hayden conceived
the idea of holding, what he phrased, "Special" Olympics
in order to support his research. This concept was then brought
to the attention of an American family with strong roots and heritage
in the United States, the Shrivers. They supported the first ever
Special Olympiad in Chicago, Illinois in 1968. Since then, the Special
Olympics movement has grown to serve over two million athletes with
an intellectual disability in more than 140 countries around the
world.
More than just the Games
Special Olympics PEI became an accredited chapter of Canadian Special
Olympics in 1982. During that time, Special Olympic activities on
PEI were coordinated though the Recreation and Sports Association
for the disabled (RSAD). In 1987, Special Olympics PEI stepped from
under the RSAD umbrella and became its own incorporated, charitable
organization.
Special Olympics PEI employs an Executive Director and a Program
Director and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. There
are over a hundred coaches and volunteers who run our programs and
coach our athletes on a weekly basis. It is these caring people
who are the backbone of Special Olympics PEI.
Since its inception in 1982, Special Olympics PEI has grown steadily
and today there are over 250 registered athletes who participate
in approximately 25 recreation and sport programs across the province.
These programs include bowling, swimming, track & field, floor
hockey, speed skating, snowshoeing, soccer, softball, basketball,
curling, cross country skiing and athletics and are delivered in
both Community and Competitive Streams. In 2005, Special Olympics
PEI also began Special Friends and Youth programs, targeting children
aged 2-12.
Training and Education Opportunities
with Special Olympics PEI
Major fundraisers for Special Olympics PEI include our annual Sports
Celebrities Festival Dinner/Auction and Luncheon, the PEI Automobile
Dealers' Association April Car Campaign, the Adopt-an-Athlete Program,
the Law Enforcement Torch Run and our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
There are also a number of other groups that have taken it upon
themselves to embark on fundraising activities to help support Special
Olympics PEI.
Each program year, Special Olympics PEI offers a number of competitive
events and opportunities for athletes to participate in, both on-
and off-Island. It is through participating at these events that
athletes qualify to represent Prince Edward Island at National Winter
and Summer Games. Athletes chosen to represent Canada at International
Competitions are selected from the National Games results.
Special Olympics PEI holds a very important place in the sport and
recreation program delivery continuum on Prince Edward Island. Special
Olympic athletes grow immeasurably from their participation in Special
Olympic programs, not only in terms of their athletic ability, but
also from the standpoint of how they see themselves. Gaining self-confidence
has many positive benefits to the athletes' everyday life and work
situations and contributes to an overall happy, healthy outlook
on life. The chance to travel, make new friends, and meet new challenges,
is both stimulating and rewarding to everyone.
Guiding Principles to support
the Mission Statement
- Special Olympics provides direct
sport opportunities for athletes with an intellectual disability.
- The athlete is all-important
in Special Olympics. It is critical that coaches, parents and
caregivers encourage and provide athletes with an intellectual
disability every opportunity to reach their highest level of athletic
achievement.
- Special Olympics is a sport program.
Sport involves the matching of strength, endurance and physical
skills in formalized settings with structured rules and determined
outcomes.
- Training and preparation are
essential to meaningful participation in sport, and are an indispensable
element of any Special Olympics program.
- Every Special Olympics athlete
deserves the right to a certified coach.
- Special Olympics supports and
promotes a fair and safe environment for both athletes and coaches.
- The practice of divisioning athletes
for competition, based on their abilities, is fundamental to the
Special Olympics program. This practice ensures that all athletes
experience equitable competition.
- Special Olympics uses the medium
of sport to assist persons with an intellectual disability to
become all that they can be - physically, mentally, socially,
emotionally - and to become accepted, respected and productive
members of society
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