The athlete delegates chosen for the Special Olympics North America Athlete Congress see themselves as leaders. Leading is what they intend to do before, during, and after the Congress in March. They know they’ve been empowered to discuss difficult topics and find solutions to big challenges.
That’s power they’re ready to use.
Athlete Leadership “pushes the status quo, changes the narrative, pushes people at the top to look from a different point of view,” says Ben Fields, Athlete Leader from Special Olympics Oregon. “I’m looking at how far we’ve come—from 20, 30, 50 years ago to where we are now.”
A Worldwide Emphasis on Athlete Leadership
That long view is appropriate. He is among 26 athlete delegates attending the first-ever Athlete Congress to be held in the Special Olympics North America (SONA) Region.
The Congress will be held in early March in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for athlete delegates from Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States.
Its top goal is to choose delegates to advance to the 2027 Global Athlete Congress (GAC) in Santiago, Chile. Athlete delegates will also choose the top four issues impacting the Special Olympics movement; those topics will then be discussed in more detail at the 2027 GAC. Every Special Olympics Region will hold its own Athlete Congress to do the same.
Topics identified by more than 200 SONA athlete survey responses have been discussed during online meetings with senior staff from the SONA Region. They introduced the topics and their perspectives as SONA staff, while the delegates listened, made suggestions, and, most importantly, asked questions.
Every Athlete Delegate Represents Thousands of Other Athletes
The theme running through those meetings was the need to represent SONA athletes in the best, most informed way possible.
“Leadership is giving a voice to others. It comes with responsibility, but it makes me proud knowing I represent my Chapter and Region well. It’s not just about me—it’s about the athletes who chose me to represent them,” says Erin Magee, an Athlete Leader from Special Olympics Nova Scotia who is attending the SONA Athlete Congress.
The Athlete Congress delegates are well aware of the position of responsibility they share. Many athletes throughout the SONA Region have not had the training, experience, and opportunity that the Congress attendees have had because of differences in funding, availability of programming, and other resources between Programs. Opportunities for leadership positions can be hard to find, too.
“A lot of times people think athletes can’t express how they feel, and they push them aside,” says Athlete Leader Stacey Johnston-Gleason from Special Olympics Montana.
“So, the ones that can—like us—need to step up and be leaders and do it for them. We need to fight for them.”
Preparing for Discussions with Long-lasting Impact
That part of the responsibility is occupying many of the delegates in the weeks before the Congress.
“I’m talking with teammates, my Program Athlete Leadership Council, mentors, coaches, parents, and guardians to understand challenges and priorities,” says Agustin Lara of Special Olympics Colorado.
Every two weeks, Josh Alters of Special Olympics Kansas meets with Program leaders to prepare for his work as a delegate.
“I’m trying to put my finger on everything I can for the Congress and get involved,” Alters says.
The Athlete Congress will highlight what athletes across Special Olympics think needs to be fixed, says Brett Griffiths, an Athlete Leader from Special Olympics Manitoba.
“Any challenge other athletes bring up is important,” Griffiths says. “If it’s a challenge to them, it’s worth discussing and seeing if we can change it.”
