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Special Olympics come to Idaho in 2009
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Idaho has been selected as the U.S. site of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games for its sports venues and strong community support and will hold the games in and around Boise during February of that year.
“The World Games will bring athletes with intellectual disabilities from 100 nations to the state of Idaho,” said Kirsten Seckler, Director of Global Media and Public Relations for the Special Olympics.
According to Seckler, the Special Olympics are games designed to change the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and all people by expanding their understanding of these disabilities.
“The movement has a unique transformative quality which celebrates the power of the human spirit and helps us all realize the power of believing in potential,” said Seckler.
Over 2,000 athletes are expected to attend, as well as more than 10,000 spectators.
Originally slated to be held in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Boise was selected after the former city passed on the opportunity. Other locations considered included Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Reno/Tahoe, Nevada (U.S.), and Schladming-Graz, Austria.
The venues of Idaho played a part, but Seckler said all the potential sites offered excellent venues.
“It was the passion exuded by the people of Idaho which helped the decision to bring the Games to Idaho,” said Seckler.
As of now the venues include: Bogus Basin, the Boise Center on the Grove, Boise State University, Idaho Ice World, Tamarack Resort, and the Qwest Arena.
“Nothing is written in stone yet,” said Ryan Panitz of the Local Games Organizing Committee, “We will work to firm up those commitments in the coming months.”
“This state is a prime location for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games,” said Panitz, “all the needed facilities are already in place. However, it will take a lot of work from thousands of volunteers all across the state to pull off an event of this magnitude. We will need the support of people in towns of every size – from Boise to Idaho Falls to Homedale.”
In addition to the games, visitors will experience Idaho itself.
“The Special Olympics World Winter Games are about more than just competition,” said Panitz, “each country’s delegation will travel to a town in Idaho the week before the games to experience the people and culture.”
“We recommend that Idaho learn more about intellectual disabilities, think about creative ways that all people in Idaho can experience the Games, and to learn about the many countries that will come to your state,” said Seckler, “we also hope that Idaho will encourage people from all corners of the state and surrounding states to come and fill the sports venues.”
The Special Olympics were founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver whose sister, Rosemary Kennedy, suffered from mental retardation.
Since then the Special Olympics has become a world-class sporting event in which summer and winter games are held every four years.
The first games were held in Chicago in the summer of 1968.
Previously, the summer and winter games have been held in Dublin, Ireland in 2003 and Nagano, Japan in 2005, respectively.
The next summer games will be held Shanghai, China in 2007.
Micah McLaughlin
News Writer
