LOS ANGELES – After waiting nearly four hours, members of the Los Angeles Ukrainian American community cheered and enthusiastically welcomed the Special Olympics Ukraine delegation at Los Angeles International Airport on July 21.
“Especially with the war in Ukraine that has diverted resources from programs for people with special needs, we want to show our support for Ukraine and the work the Special Olympics Ukraine is doing for people with intellectual disabilities,” remarked the Rev. Ihor Koshyk, pastor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Los Angeles.
“We are proud to honor those who represent a better life in Ukraine, whether they are soldiers on the battlefield or athletes on the sports field,” commented Volodymyr Zavada, who helped to coordinate the welcome for the Special Olympics Ukraine delegation with Father Koshyk.
The 2015 Special Olympics World Games were staged in Los Angeles on July 25-August 2, featuring 25 Olympic-style sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region. Opening and closing ceremonies were held at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. ESPN provided broadcast coverage to millions of fans around the world.
Members of the Ukrainian community and the 2015 Special Olympics World Games committee welcome the Special Olympics Ukraine delegation at the Los Angeles International Airport.
With 6,500 athletes representing 177 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and over 500,000 spectators, the 2015 Special Olympics World games was the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015, and the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games.
Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to more than 4.2 million athletes in 180 countries today.
People with intellectual disabilities are encouraged to join Special Olympics for the physical activity, which helps lower the rate of cardiovascular disease and obesity, among other health benefits. Also, they gain many emotional and psychological benefits, including self-confidence, social competence and higher self-esteem.
Special Olympics programs are available for athletes free of charge. The organization offers year-round training and competition in 32 Olympic-style summer and winter sports.
Special Olympics World Games – and all of the 90,000 Special Olympics competitions that occur every year – invite the public to see the talents and capabilities of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). It’s a way to open eyes, to change attitudes and to break down barriers that excluded people with ID from the mainstream community. As many as 200 million people worldwide have an intellectual disability, making it the largest disability group worldwide. Intellectual disability crosses racial, ethnic, educational, social and economic lines, and can occur in any family.
Special Olympics Ukraine began athletic activities in 1994 and was officially organized in 2002. As of 2012, there were 18,900 registered athletes and participants and 732 coaches involved with 95 competitions each year.
The Special Olympics Ukraine delegation to the 2015 World Games included eight athletes competing in aquatics, badminton and gymnastics, plus five coaches and administrators. Funding shortfalls and other factors related to the war in Ukraine reduced the participation from 29 to 13 persons.
On behalf of the delegation, Special Olympics Ukraine President Serhiy Komisarenko thanked the Los Angeles community for the warm reception. “After a long journey, it touched the hearts of our athletes to see the people waving Ukrainian flags and speaking Ukrainian to them when arriving in a foreign country.” Prof. Komisarenko is also the chair of the Paladin Institute of Biochemistry at the National Academy of Sciences in Ukraine.
Born in Lviv, Los Angeles resident Solomiya Pyatkovska is ready to cheer the Special Olympics Ukraine delegation at the 2015 World Games Closing Ceremonies at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Special Olympics National Director Andrii Pidvarko added, “Although there are about 1 million people with intellectual disabilities in Ukraine, it is still rare to see special needs people in public places. This enthusiastic welcome by the Ukrainian Americans in Los Angeles helps to give the athletes confidence and brings us all closer to a more inclusive society.”
More information about Special Olympics Ukraine can be found at www.specialolympics.org.ua.
Photos courtesy of Halyna Bond, Anne Prokopovych and Solomiya Pyatkovska.