An Van Hecke swimming to victory in competition at the Special Olympics Belgium National Games.
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An Van Hecke has always been there. I was three when she was born. Although she will soon turn 31 and is now tall and strong, I have always referred to An as "my little cousin" for as long as I can remember. Throughout the years, she has touched our hearts with her laughter and tears.
An is an artist. At the center where she lives, she paints and draws magnificent works of art. An has Down syndrome. She compiles her world of thoughts and unique representations in notebooks, on white paper and newspaper. Her art is framed and exhibited.
An can swim too. She was seven when she learned; first, splashing in the wadding pool, then dog paddling. Now, she can do the breaststroke. Many years ago, she was given the opportunity to compete in the Special Olympics Belgium National Games for the first time. Every year since then, she has come home with medals. We were barely conscious of what it meant. For An, however, it meant everything.
In 2000, An could not take part in the National Games that were held in Brussels. Even a long weekend by the seaside at Ostende with mum and dad could not change her mind: she was meant to be in Brussels. In 2001, the National Games took place in Hasselt, in our province of Limburg, and the newspaper where I work, Het Belang van Limburg, promoted the event. For three days, the 2,750 athletes who competed mesmerized the city. We knew we would be lacking in words to capture their world.
And then we saw An, bathing cap number 368, compete in the sixth division of the aquatics competition. Some of the competitors swam like rockets and An finished fifth. Still, she won a bronze medal. "The other swimmers were swimming too fast for this division," the jury explained. Two of them were disqualified.
We saw another athlete named Indra shine as she showed the gold medal she received from former athletics champion Fons Brydenback (Belgian record holder in the 400m). We also saw hundreds of other athletes run, jump and ride.
Photos can tell what words can't. Black-and-white pictures by Luc Daelemans recorded the event in full and rich contrasts. With his photographs, Daelemans unveils the world of people with mental handicaps.
A selection of five of his photographs were sent to the International Photojournalism Festival in Perpignan, France, one of the largest photo festivals in the world, with 50,000 photographers submitting their work. Daelemans' series was selected and presented at the "Daily Press" exhibition for 15 days. Thus, the entire world got an opportunity to behold the Special Olympics National Games in Hasselt, Belgium, and a view of An and Indra's world.
This article was originally printed in the Belang van Limburg (Belgium). Rik van Puymbroek, is a journalist and Luc Daelemans is chief photographer at the newspaper. The 20th Special Olympics
Belgium National Games were held 23-26 May 2001. |
