'Not defined by my disability': How sports and the Special Olympics movement is transforming lives

UAE athletes with intellectual disabilities say sports and being part of the Special Olympics movement has given them confidence and belief in themselves to take on challenges outside the sporting arena.

It all started when 7,500 athletes from 190 nations came to Abu Dhabi for the 2019 Special Olympics World Games. This was the first time the games were held in the Middle East and shone a spotlight on the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities.

Five years later, teenage Emirati athletes and young expatriates with disabilities reveal how sports has been the driving force helping them excel in areas they never imagined possible from speaking at global conferences to being a TEDx speaker.

“Sports made me feel more confident in myself. If I had not participated in sports I wouldn’t speak like this or be an MC,” said Almezin Jasim, 17, who has won national medals in badminton and has autism.

The Emirati keeps her composure on stage by remembering how she stays calm on the badminton court. This was evident when she took the microphone to deliver the opening remarks and warmly welcome hundreds of policymakers at a recent Special Olympics Global Centre conference in Abu Dhabi.

'Football makes me happy'

Ms Jasim plays badminton with a classmate without disabilities at her school Aisha Bint Abi Baker that is among 195 Unified Champion Schools as part of a nationwide programme to inspire change with inclusive sports.

“I will tell parents honestly that special needs kids are capable of doing anything,” Ms Jasim told The National.

“I’m an MC, I play badminton, I have autism. This (disability) does not define who you are as a person. I will study in university after high school. I would love to tour the world, learn about other cultures.”

A Special Olympics athlete Alyazia Al Mansouri said she earned her place as a defender on the football field playing in a unified team alongside athletes without disabilities.

“Football makes me happy,” said the 16-year-old Emirati pupil from Abu Dhabi’s Umm Al Emarat school who also spoke at the conference. “It is my hobby, it’s good for my future. Sport makes me comfortable. I get the courage to speak.”

A supportive community

Aarti Shah’s first big speech was at the 2019 World Games in front of thousands and being part of the event propelled her to take up sports. She has since won medals in national and international powerlifting competitions, is a TEDx speaker and has Down syndrome.

The Indian athlete spoke of her journey at another conference in the capital this week, the Inclusive Workplaces Summit at the Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination.

“The first time I spoke, at the games I couldn’t believe how many people were there. I was a little nervous but also proud of myself,” said Ms Shah, 31.

“Now every single day I work out. Powerlifting transformed me. I’m getting stronger, losing weight, gaining more muscle mass.”

Like Ms Shah, citizens and expatriates with and without disabilities are signing up for unified sporting events. Ms Shah’s coach Hollie Murphy said the discipline that sport demands give athletes the strength to shine off the field.

“Sports unlocks so many other attributes. They learn how to be a leader, communicate with others, work as a part of a team, learn how to win and lose, manage emotions through good and bad times,” said the founder of Heroes of Hope, a non-profit group that organises sporting events for people with disabilities.

“They are constantly building their character, personality and are surrounded by people who support and celebrate them. We are a community that can see their strength and that’s what we focus on – not about what they cannot do but what they can do.”

She said the spark lit at the 2019 games continued to energise the country.

“The 2019 games transformed everything. The mindset of this nation shifted. Before that a lot of these families didn’t see the worth or value in sport or recreational activities,” she said. “When in fact having access to sporting activities and a community attached to it can transform the lives of a person of determination,” Ms Murphy said

Taking the message overseas

The Special Olympics UAE is committed to getting all public schools involved in unified sports. The country’s education and sports ministries have outlined policies to foster lasting change leaving no child behind in schools.

A year after the 2019 games, the Special Olympics Global Centre was set up in Abu Dhabi with funding of $25 million from President Sheikh Mohamed, then the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The centre is committed to taking the UAE’s message of inclusion overseas, funding research and fostering inclusive programmes across the world.

The Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programme that brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities through sports and leadership programmes, started with six countries in 2020. It now operates in 25 countries with 30 nations in the pipeline.

“Our biggest power is actually the people of determination saying what's possible,” said Salyne El Samarany, Special Olympics Global Centre vice president. “It's only when people recognise the potential of people with disability that they start to understand that they can make a difference.

"They realise they can make minor adjustments in policies that do not require massive amounts of funding. You need to believe and once you start believing, you will put in the effort needed.”

Tala Al Ramahi, chief strategy officer of Reaching the Last Mile, a portfolio of global health programmes funded by Sheikh Mohamed, said the UAE’s example was vital.

“When the UAE leadership decided to bring the games to Abu Dhabi there was a nuanced understanding that we wanted to leverage these games for transformative change for people with disabilities but also for entire communities that surround them,” said Ms Ramahi, who was chief strategy officer at the 2019 World Games.

“What we have seen since hosting the games has been heartening. The key priority was to create change at home but the values and the essence of the UAE is when it can support communities abroad in fostering positive social change. The priority is how do you foster a generation of young advocates that truly care about inclusion.”