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Ahasna Bahi of Special Olympics Morocco takes part in the table tennis competition at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. The RDS (Royal Dublin Society) facility housed table tennis, bocce, powerlifting and gymnastics, as well as Festival Village (open to the public) and Special Olympics Town, (for athletes only) and thus was a popular stop for many of the 2003 World Summer Games' spectators. [Photo by Ray Ryan]
 Special Olympics Japan's goalkeeper shouts instructions to his defenders during football (soccer) competition. The next World Games will be the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan it will be be the first time a Special Olympics World Games will take place using venues and facilities previously used by the Olympics; Nagano hosted the XVIII Olympic Winter Games (in 1998). [Photo by Marc O'Sullivan, *EDI* IRELAND OUT]
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Nishanthini Vellaisamy, a member of the Special Olympics Bharat (India) roller skating team, smiles after taking part in the 4 x 100 meters preliminary event. All roller skating events are being contested in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which also hosted the Special Olympics Scientific Symposium 19-20 June. An official event at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, the Symposium featured 50 papers and workshops on a wide variety of subjects under the theme of "Supporting Families." Belfast also acted as the Host Town to Team USA.
Roller skating athletes are given the option to compete in artistic events, speed events or roller hockey. In addition to the choice of sport, athletes may choose to use in-line or quad skates, depending on their strengths. For artistic competition, the competition is divided into four levels, each level progressively more difficult and requiring different elements. Speed events offer a variety of distances for all skill levels, as well as relay and slalom events. [Photo by Brendan Murphy, IRELAND OUT]
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Special Olympics Germany's Rolf Mruck, left, Germany, demonstrates judo with his head coach, Horts Trippek, a 7th Dan of Judo. Judo was one of the demonstration sports of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games and, due to its popularity, will very likely be offered as an official sport at the next Special Olympics World Summer Games, 2007 in Shanghai, China. [Photo by Matt Browne, IRELAND OUT]
Special Olympics Zimbabwe's Rodwell Mandibaya competes in the golf Level 4 9-hole event at Elmgreen, Castleknock in Dublin; he finished second in his division.
Ireland was graced with unusually good weather during the Games warmer and sunnier and with less rain than is often found this time of year which was a boon for all of the outdoor venues and competitions, not to mention the athletes themselves and the many spectators. [Photo by Kenneth O'Halloran, IRELAND OUT]
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Gary Durkan, Special Olympics Ireland, participates in the bean bag lift, one of the events in the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP). Special Olympics MATP is designed for persons with severe limitations who do not yet possess the physical and/or behavioral skills necessary to participate in official Special Olympics sports; it provides a comprehensive motor activity and recreation training curriculum for these participants. MATP emphasizes training and participation rather than competition. Individuals who participate in MATP activities work as hard as other Special Olympics athletes, and they are recognized for their efforts. [Photo by Eric Luke, IRELAND OUT]
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Team USA's Kelly Horn (left) and Tricia Yeager, bowling athletes who both hail from Special Olympics Pennsylvania (USA), make their positive feelings known with big smiles and the "thumbs up" gesture as they await the start of the bowling competition. Horn and Yeager, along with 4-Team (mixed) teammates Miles Morris and James Farnsworth, finished first in their division. The bowling venue is in Blanchardstown's Leisureplex; Blanchardstown Shopping Center hosted all World Games athletes and their families for a night of shopping on 24 June. [Photo by Jim O'Kelly, IRELAND OUT]
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Jose Penate, Special Olympics
El Salvador, concentrateses on returning the ball on his way to winning a tennis gold medal. The David Lloyd Riverview Club in Dublin hosted the tennis competition. Recently refurbished, the club offers first-class facilities, including 11 indoor courts, and has been used for a number of national and international tennis events, including rounds of the Davis Cup. [Photo by Kyran O'Brien, IRELAND OUT]
Anna Laitinen, Special Olympics Finland, practices kayaking before the competition begins. Kayaking was one of the demonstration sports for the 2003 World Games. Five teams two from Ireland, and one each from Finland, Germany and Poland, took part at the Salmon Leap Canoe Club in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. Among the spectators gathered to watch were employees from the local offices of Hewlett Packard and Intel, who took advantage of having a lunch break in the sunshine. [Photo by Adrian Melia, IRELAND OUT]
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Special Olympics Ecuador's Fabian Guamani takes the lead during cycling, followed by Alan Walsh from Special Olympics Great Britain. The cycling venue spawned one of the many heart-warming stories of the Games; on Tuesday, 24 June, The Games Gazette reported that Special Olympics Argentina had traveled with bicycles that were rather old and in poor condition, and given their country's economic situation, there were no funds available to the team for new equipment. The result was that the three Argentinian athletes had to share two bicycles; their coach, Alejandro Feldman, stood at the finish line at the end of one race to take the bike from one athlete and race around the venue to give it to another. In spite of this, they went on to win nine medals in the first four days of competition. The story obviously struck a chord with an anonymous benefactor, for the next day new bikes were delivered and presented to the team. We are really excited," said athlete Misael Taboda. "We just cant believe it. [Photo by Steve Humphreys]
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Chin Chung Yeh, Special Olympics Chinese Taipei, participates in the Dressage Division 6 equestrian event, which took place in Kildare, Ireland at the International Equestrian Centre. Yeh and teammate Chuan Chin Kao are both excited, if unsure of what to expect from the judge. This marks the first time a team from Chinese Taipei has taken part in the equestrian competition at a Special Olympics World Games. The small team is enjoying the competition and their experience enormously. "Everyone had gone out of their way to help the team settle in," they noted. [Photo by Brenda Fitzsimons, IRELAND OUT] |
