Allowing athletes with learning disabilities commonly associated with Down Syndrome to participate in Olympic Games raises international awareness about the condition. It will also give hope to parents of children who have Down Syndrome.
Andrew is a very inspirational person who has overcome ill health and poor fitness, and has gone on to win 7 gymnastic medals (including 4 golds) at the Special Olympics National Games in Sheffield earlier this year!
Sports industry controls billions of dollars in revenue. According to Forbes, sports personnel are also considered among the wealthiest people in the world. Are you aware
The history of the Paralympics Games dates back to 1888, in Berlin. However, World War II was an eye-opener; the physically impaired servicemen and women
Persons with Down syndrome experience moderate to severe intellectual disability. An additional chromosome 21 (3 instead of 2 chromosomes) causes Down syndrome. The facial features
The next phase of our journey was to convince people living with Down Syndrome to join the Trisome Games Project. Many were reluctant, and some of their relatives were not willing to enroll them.
Consequently, we launched an awareness campaign to explain the benefits of people with Down Syndrome taking part in the Olympic Games. We were not always successful, but we managed to bring more than 500 people living with Down Syndrome on board.
In 2009, we joined the global community in condemning the exclusion of people with Down Syndrome from taking part in the Olympic games. The practice of making it difficult for people with Down Syndrome to take part in the Olympic games prevents them from achieving their full potential.
