“I miss my sports, I miss practicing for Special Olympics”
Change is hard. Change is harder for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Florida strives to provide opportunities for our athletes to participate as productive and respected members of society at large, by offering them a fair opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills and talents through sports training and competition. They are missing their “sports” terribly. Our goal is to retain funding and staff to continue serve our athletes through this crisis and beyond.
Staying physically active is an important part of training for sport and maintaining and improving overall health. The bridge between health and sports, fitness is optimal health and performance through adequate nutrition, hydration, and physical activity. During the Covid 19 crisis, Special Olympics Florida is motivating athletes, coaches and families via Social Media and the #Fit5Challenge. We improve the fitness of our athletes by providing tailored tools — like #Fit5Guide, on demand exercise classes and Zoom classes for live engagement.
The mission of Special Olympics Healthy Athletes, developed in 1997 by Special Olympics International, is to improve athletes’ ability to train and compete in Special Olympics. Healthy Athletes is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve their health and fitness, leading to enhanced sports experience and improved well-being.
Intellectual disability does not discriminate. Athletes who participate in Special Olympics come in all ages, ethnicity, and economic and social backgrounds. However, a significant number of athletes live in urban areas and come from lower socioeconomic groups. In addition, the vast majority of school-aged children with intellectual disabilities who attend public schools receive free or reduced lunch, placing them in the at-risk demographic. The generosity of our our donors allows us to serve them at no cost.
