Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Athletes

Young Athletes in Turkey Stay Active in Lockdown!

Young athlete sitting in a living room after unpacking a young athletes backpack.
Eyüp Ayata, a Young Athlete from Denizli in Turkey who was among 150 Young Athletes (YA) who received a YA backpack direct to his door during lockdown.

It has been a year of profound challenges driven by restrictions, loss and uncertainty. The athletes of Special Olympics—many of whom were already severely marginalised by society—saw their daily lives made even more difficult with drastically reduced access to activities and education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been particularly hard for our Young Athletes (YA) who do not necessarily understand why life has changed so much.

In Turkey, MetLife, seven universities and Special Olympics Turkey stepped into support Young Athletes (YA) across the country during this challenging time. Working together, they prepared and distributed YA backpacks to 150 children in response to the lockdown.

Eyüp from Denizli was among the Young Athletes who received a backpack direct to his door. “The YA project made our son Eyüp, aged five, very happy. Eyüp was very bored with staying at home during the pandemic. He was very unhappy that he could not attend school and training. He was very happy when he got his backpack. Now he does his regular workouts every day with us at home,” said his mother Nurgül Ayata and father Soner Ayata.

Gazi University in Ankara, one of the sites of in-person YA activities, helped with the distribution of the backpacks. Prof. Dr. Levent Ilhan from the university was full of praise for keeping children with intellectual disabilities active during the pandemic. “We are grateful to you for helping us reach Young Athletes in such a period. The contribution YA can make to children’s motor skills is vital to their development at home,” he said.

This work is part of a larger project which also supports eight other National Programmes in Europe/Eurasia. The goal is to activate family members through YA at Home during the pandemic. The other countries involved are Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Russia and Spain. Each backpack, designed to support Young Athletes and their families while at home, contains standard YA equipment, an Activity Guide, Strong Minds and Health Promotion materials, and a children’s book.

A huge thanks is due to MetLife associates from across the region who prepared and packed the individual backpacks, and also wrote personal messages of encouragement to the children and families.

Meet Some of the Special Olympics Young Athletes Community

Special Olympics Young Athletes gives children, with and without intellectual disabilities, ages 2 to 7 the opportunity to benefit from physical moment. Currently, more than 440,000 children and their families enjoy sport and play together while building community.
5 Images

Pioneering Programme to Support Young Athletes in Montenegro

"Thank you for thinking of us … The whole family is thrilled and we cannot wait to start training."—this was the enthusiastic feedback of Sanja Šćekić, mother of eight-year-old years old Tara from Podgorica when they recently received a #YoungAthletesAtHome or #MladiSportistiDoma package!
2 Min Read

Families: The Life Force of our Movement

Families are the life force of Special Olympics and their engagement is as vital to the success of the athletes as it is to the amplification of our mission.