Mosah Mokganedi
11 November 2009
The annual national Special Olympics kick-off today in Maun with about 500 intellectually challenged children competing in athletics, softball and football.
The games have been organised by Special Olympics Botswana and end on Saturday.Ross Tebele from Special Olympics said they wanted to include other sports like swimming and judo but they did not get enough participants. He said each school is expected to send 20 athletes to the games.
This year, the organisers have decided to stage the games outside Gaborone to give other areas a chance to host the event. Besides, there were no venues in Gaborone because stadiums in the city and its environs are undergoing renovations.
Tebele said the aim of the games is to bring intellectually challenged children together to enjoy themselves and keep fit. He stated that they face many hiccups in organising the games.
One major problem is the lack of doctors to examine players before the competition. He hailed the games saying they have grown with time. He said they continue to train more officials who in turn impart skills to children.
Tebele said teaching intellectually challenged children is a challenge because they are slow learners hence coaches have to repeat instructions several times when training them.
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