MoBay to host Special Olympics Caribbean Beach Games

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica is set to make history in November when the island hosts the inaugural Special Olympics Caribbean Beach Games, which will bring together some 2,000 athletes, coaches, caregivers and officials at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay.

The event is expected to be the largest gathering of athletes with intellectual disabilities ever staged in the region. It will feature football, basketball, volleyball, bocce and open-water swim-run competitions and will run from November 18 to 22.

Already confirmed for the historic games are Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Guyana, Guadeloupe, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and hosts Jamaica, underscoring the event’s regional significance.

The games, the first of their kind in the Caribbean, are expected to further strengthen Jamaica’s reputation as a premier sports tourism destination while highlighting the transformative power of sport in promoting inclusion and opportunity for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Speaking at Tuesday’s launch at Club S at S Hotel in Montego Bay, chairman of the Special Olympics Jamaica Board Aldrick ‘Allie’ McNab described the event as the most significant international championship ever hosted by the local organisation.

“For the very first time, we will be hosting an international event of this magnitude,” he said.

“While we are excited about the competition, our responsibility as hosts extends beyond the field of play. We want every visitor to leave Jamaica having enjoyed the experience of a lifetime.”

McNab said the games represent a defining moment for both Jamaica and the regional Special Olympics movement, providing an opportunity to showcase the country’s organisational capacity, hospitality and commitment to inclusion.

He also noted that the staging of the Caribbean Beach Games adds another chapter to the legacy of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics movement in 1962 to create sporting opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities.

“One can only wonder if Eunice Kennedy Shriver envisioned that one day the Special Olympics would grow to become what is now recognised worldwide as one of the greatest humanitarian movements,” he said.

“By becoming involved in these games, you are becoming part of that movement. The staging of these Beach Games allows Special Olympics Jamaica to write another chapter in that remarkable history.”

Special Olympics Jamaica currently serves more than 4,000 athletes through programmes that promote awareness, acceptance and inclusion across the island.

McNab also described Harmony Beach Park as the ideal venue for the games.

“The choice of Harmony Beach Park couldn’t be better. It is the perfect venue for these games. The beauty and layout provide a picturesque setting for this event,” he said.

Collaboration and resilience

Lorna Bell, executive director of Special Olympics Caribbean, said confirmation from the 20 participating nations demonstrated the confidence the region has placed in Jamaica as the inaugural host of the games.

According to Bell, the journey to bringing the games to Jamaica was fuelled by determination, collaboration and resilience despite the organisation suffering the loss of two of its longest-serving members during the planning process.

Bell used the opportunity to pay tribute to administrative assistant Shaunie Florine and founding member Hugh Macdonald, both of whom dedicated more than 25 years of service to the Special Olympics movement.

“Our team remained committed to their legacy, drawing strength from their passion and dedication to ensure that the dream of these games continued to move forward,” she said.

Bell also thanked Special Olympics Jamaica, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, the St James Municipal Corporation, and corporate and government partners for embracing the vision of bringing the games to western Jamaica.

She also announced that Sports Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange will serve as patron of the games and is expected to attend the opening ceremony on November 19.

Among the growing list of supporters are the Government of Jamaica, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, CHASE Fund, UNESCO, Digicel, Lions Clubs, several hotel partners and private-sector organisations.

Bell also singled out chairman of the Local Organising Committee Dr Lee Bailey for mobilising western Jamaica’s business community and securing office space for the games’ secretariat.

McNab also praised Bailey’s contribution, describing him as a long-standing supporter of Special Olympics Jamaica who “never says no” when called upon to assist.

Bell also praised Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake, Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for helping Special Olympics Jamaica raise the $9.9 million needed to send the national football team to the recent Special Olympics tournament in Paris, where they reached the final but lost 3-1.

“Sometimes when people speak negatively about the police, I have to remind them of the good that they do,” said Bell. “Without their intervention, our athletes would not have made that journey.”

Bell said UNESCO agreed to partner with the games after learning about the event through its promotional campaign. The Pretty Girls True Foundation will sponsor the Motor Activity Training Programme for athletes with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.