World Games Updates

Special Olympics Kuwait Skater Finds “A Place Where I Belong”

Special Olympics Kuwait speed skater Ali Taher, 25, loves Special Olympics because, he said, “They treat me like a normal person – they understand!” His coach, Isa Karam, agrees. “Special Olympics makes everyone aware of people with intellectual disabilities – even in my country – and it makes us all feel joyful that people are getting together as a world society and doing something good – it’s a blessing.”

Karam is a teacher in Kuwait Mansouria and has worked with people with disabilities since 1992. It’s much better now for people with intellectual disabilities in Kuwait he said. “In the 1970s, parents hid their children at home – they never let them outside. The children had empty hearts and nothing to do.” Karam said that Special Olympics has helped make people aware that this population has abilities far beyond what they thought. “Special Olympics athletes are better at sports than most people around the world,” he contends.

Taher, whose father is a construction worker and whose mother stays at home with the family’s five children, said, “I love being in the United States, in Idaho. It’s friendly and cozy. I feel life here.” He also loves the mountains, the trees and snow, which he saw for the first time.

Although he’s a bit homesick, Taher said, “I love my family, but when I come to Special Olympics, it’s like coming home to my place,” he emphasized, “A place where I belong.”

Taher won the bronze medal in his division for the 333M race. He was disappointed he didn’t win the gold. But he immediately perked up when a young woman ran up to him and asked for his autograph. He signed it with a theatrical flourish, and a mile-wide smile.