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Dear Friends,
As the year draws to a close and we plan for 2020, this would be a good time to take a look back at all we have achieved.
After the celebratory high from our 50th Anniversary in 2018, the world got to “Meet the Determined” at the Special Olympics World Summer Games at Abu Dhabi in March, which saw 1,117 athletes and partners in the Asia Pacific region receive a haul of almost 800 medals, participating in 21 out of the 24 sports offered at the Games. It was also a milestone for the movement as the host nation dropped the term "disabled" and changed their vocabulary to adopt the phrase “People of Determination” — a huge step in making progress in our journey to inclusion.
There were also many firsts that we’ve achieved this year. By embracing technology, we launched the Sprout App in partnership with Microsoft. We also gathered academics and launched our first ever regional research hub to mitigate the gap in data around the issues surrounding people with intellectual disabilities (ID). In July, we celebrated the Global Day of Inclusion with the inaugural Special Olympics Asian Football Week by rallying and activating communities across the region through Football.
And finally in just the past two months, we bridged the gap between those with and without ID through all things Unified. Special Olympics Thailand hosted the first ever Special Olympics Asia Pacific Unified Badminton Championship, while the SEA Unified Football Tournament returned to Singapore after seven years. The first regional Youth for Inclusion 2019 also launched earlier this month exploring tech-solutions surrounding the issues of
Bullying & Isolation,
Increasing post-school opportunities and
Strengthening mental health & wellness.
Authentic stories are also crucial in promoting the message of inclusion, Humanrace.asia our content hub has been revamped with a new look, and more inspiring stories of athletes, families, coaches and volunteers to help highlight the importance and impact of inclusion.
2020 will be the year we will strive to make even more breakthroughs — to better serve our athletes and create better attitudes towards people with ID — so no one gets left behind.
Have a most Unified Christmas and an Inclusive New Year ahead.
As we continue to change the game, I hope you enjoy the read!
Yours Sincerely,
Dipak Natali
Acting President & Managing Director
Special Olympics Asia Pacific |
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MY LIFE'S BLESSING
Some may see having a child with intellectual disability as a misfortune, but to May Fazura, mother of Ulfee, an athlete from Special Olympics Brunei, he is a gift and blessing to her and her family. She has been involved in the movement since 2006 and has even started a family support group to help other families on their journey. |
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BETTER VERSIONS OF OURSELVES
What changes have you seen in your life in the past five years? For Jenny Sike, coach from Special Olympics Papua New Guinea, it has been a transformative journey. From picking up sign language, managing behaviours and communicating better with children with ID, she believes that it has also helped build her character, allowing her to become a better version of herself.
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PERCEPTION OF PEOPLE WITH ID
There are varying levels of awareness and acceptance of People with intellectual disabilities in the region and we would like to know what they are take part in this poll to help us understand and help you advocate better.
TAKE PART HERE
&
VIEW RESULTS HERE
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Special Olympics Thailand recently hosted the inaugural Special Olympics Special Olympics Asia Pacific Badminon Championship where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities from 14 countries gathered together in Bangkok to exhibit their skills, passion and grit. The star-studded launch was graced by Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan, celebrities like BNK48, government officials, partners and the public – all coming together to the arena to show their support for these athletes and cheering them on in this journey of inclusion. |
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Special Olympics Pakistan Held their first-ever AWARENESS SESSION at District Hall Sanghar Sindh with 170 participants from six nearby remote villages. They learnt more about intellectual disabilities, the impact of Special Olympics and how they can empower their children through power of sports. |
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Congratulations to Special Olympics New Zealand athlete, Alex Goldsack who won the DISABLED SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR at the Far North Sports Awards, while volunteer coach Georgia Grimme won coach of the year! Both of them were also at the Special Olympics World Summer Games at Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
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Youth leader Simran Sahni and athlete leader Shrey Kadian from Special Olympics Bharat were featured in Microsoft’s In Culture videos to inspire others to take action for an inclusive world. WATCH THE VIDEO to see what they have been working together to champion inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities across schools in India. |
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Close to 50 athletes from Special Olympics Nippon picked up valuable basketball skills from the Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets as part of an NBA CARES x SPECIAL OLYMPICS unified clinic, organized to coincide with the 2019 NBA Japan Games.
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Special Olympics Serendib (Sri Lanka) hosted the 2nd SPECIAL OLYMPICS ASIA PACIFIC UNIFIED BEACH CARNIVAL at Negumbo Beach, where more than 120 athletes and unified partners from across Sri Lanka and Bangladesh competed in cricket and netball, joined by families, carers, supporters and key dignitaries such as the Mayor of Negumbo.
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Close to 100 youth leaders with and without intellectual disabilities from across 14 Asian countries gathered in Singapore for Special Olympics Asia Pacific's YOUTH FOR INCLUSION 2019, to co-create tech solutions for inclusion. Keep a look out for our EDM next month for more highlights, meanwhile check out our pictures to see what went on.
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Hosted by Special Olympics Singapore and supported by FWD Insurance and Micron Singapore, close to 140 delegates from seven Southeast Asian countries displayed their skills, courage and passion at the Special Olympics SEA Unified Football Tournament in early December.
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Special Olympics launched a new era in ATHLETE LEADERSHIP at an event in Dublin. Supported by Bank of America, it brought 80 participants from all 7 regions together for a weeklong workshop. Featuring a Unified Leadership approach, for both leaders with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) to develop their mindsets and skills, with the goal to build the best possible environment for people with ID to succeed in meaningful leadership roles and activities. It is achieved through educating and empowering people with ID and also strives to create a better understanding of people with ID, which in turn creates more inclusive cultures in organizations and in society as a whole. |
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TIPS ON DELIVERING AN
IMPACTFUL SPEECH
Studies show that roughly 80% of people are nervous about speaking in front of an audience. Are you one of them? Hear from Hanna Joy Atkinson, Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger, from Colorado, who has a few tips to get you more comfortable giving speeches and presentations so you can wow the crowd.
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QUARTER 1
Regional Leadership Conference, Singapore
International Male Unified Cricket Tournament, India
Train the Trainer - Level 3 Cricket, India
Train the Trainer - Level 3 Hockey ID, India
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