Special Olympians Return Home In Triumph

[Linked Image] [Linked Image] [Linked Image] Belize's Special Olympics 5-a-side football team returned today from Athens Greece triumphantly. In their first time at the games, the team won the bronze medal at the Special Olympics World Summer Games.

It's the first time Special Olympics Belize participated in an international 5-a-side football competition and was among nearly seven thousand athletes from one hundred and eighty countries. After three weeks in Europe, the team returned maybe a bit jet-lagged and road weary, but nonetheless exuberant.

Andrew Aspinall, head coach

[Linked Image] "Today started about two and a half years ago. Myself and Coach Raymond was sent to Barbados on a FIFA coach to coach course. When we came back we started coach for Special Olympics. We train about 40 coaches over two and a half years. we got a grant from the special Olympics and bought all the equipment. Within the districts we sent coaches to find these players - these talented players. Over the two years we had inter-district competitions, we had inter-regional competitions, we had national training, we had national training camp with regular teams and so we've done a lot of training to get to where we are now and the 8 young men you see before you are the best of the best within special Olympics and they are proud."

Clayton Fitzgibbon, team player
[Linked Image] "Our most challenging part of the game was we was down 2-0 in nearly every game and our coach would tell us to go and touch our flag over there and come back to remember the people back in Belize and it was really challenging and our most goal scorer Darrel Lambey scored nearly all of our goals and then Ernest then Sidney. We all work as a team together."

Alan Auil, Chairman - Special Olympics
[Linked Image] "Yes actually what special Olympics does indeed is we try to provide sporting opportunities, exercise and competitions for all persons with intellectual disability and by putting these guys on the spotlight the entire community like what we have here - everybody can come out and see how wonderful these boys are and the type of abilities that they have and how everybody is one community. We all form this one community and we are a part and we want to continue with our fight for the rights and the dignity and acceptance for all persons with intellectual disability."

The 5-a-side football team included Sidney Rhaburn, Darroll Lambey, Benny Baiza, Jerrilee Valenine, Filadelfo Barrientos, Ernest Lambey, Clayton Fitzgibbon, and Zabdi Cobb. Over one hundred and fifty athletes countrywide tried out for the team.

http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=20096&frmsrch=1


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