Meet Maicon – Be a Fan of Skill
Maicon Limeira da Silva Santana of Brazil wows the public with his goals – on and off the field. He excels at football – what Americans call soccer – and hopes to persuade his family to get behind his passion. “Then they could see there could be a future in this for me and for us as a family.”
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An Inspiration to Others. Maicon Limeira da Silva Santana of Brazil wows the public with his goals – on and off the field. See the video.
Born With a Gift
Maicon, from a modest village northwest of Sao Paolo, Brazil, “was born with the talent to play soccer," says his coach. “His ability comes naturally.” When spectators come to watch his Special Olympics Unified Sports football team, they see Maicon’s skill with the ball – not his intellectual disability. Oftentimes, complete strangers are surprised and awed – first, by what Maicon can do, and later, when they find out that he has a disability.
Maicon then surprises them a third time when he shares his goals for the future. “My dream is to be a professional soccer player. Perhaps one day I can help my family financially. I want them to be proud of me. I want nothing more than for them to have a better life.”
Others Who Came Before Him
Special Olympics athletes surprise people every day – and in the process, they rewrite the rule book for how the public perceives people with intellectual disabilities. Some go on to become world-class competitors, playing against and alongside the world’s top athletes.
Like American marathoners and Special Olympics spokespeople Billy Quick and Loretta Claiborne, who were among the top finishers in the Boston and New York Marathons.
Or Guatemalan triathlete Eduardo Jose Rodriguez Herrera, the first Special Olympics athlete to compete in the Iron Man Triathlon.
Or the 23 aquatics and track and field competitors who qualified to compete in the Special Olympics World Games with times better than those of their Olympic athlete counterparts.
Bringing Out the Best in You
Special Olympics offers skills training to athletes in every part of the world, in more than 180 countries and on every continent. With nearly 30,000 competitions annually, you can find an athlete training anywhere around the world, 365 days a year. Special Olympics athletes come from cities and remote villages; speak hundreds of languages; and represent every age group, from children to adults.
Through divisioning, athletes at any level can practice, participate, hone their athletic skills – and have fun. Some, like Maicon, are highly skilled and compete in Unified Sports programs like Global Football. Here, team members with and without intellectual disabilities compete on the same playing field – and get a chance to learn first-hand what we all can achieve when we work to bring out the best in each other.
More Than Just a Game
Special Olympics impacts life skills beyond sports. Research shows Special Olympics improves self-confidence, self-esteem and social skills in athletes – improvements they carry with them off the playing field. Many athletes feel empowered and find their voice through Special Olympics. You may be surprised to know that more than half (52 percent) of adult Special Olympics athletes in the United States are employed, half of those in competitive employment. Without Special Olympics, the average overall employment rate of people with intellectual disabilities is 10 percent – suggesting a strong relationship between Special Olympics participation and the ability to participate in the workplace.
As you can see, something as simple as a soccer ball can start a sea change of transformation in a person’s life. It has for Maicon, and it can for millions of others with intellectual disabilities. Give to Special Olympics. Even a small donation helps us to bring equipment, coaching and skills training to more communities in need.
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