Understanding the differences between Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics |08 August 2015

Seychellois Special Olympians have performed remarkably well in the just-ended Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, United States of America, prompting many to observe that they deserve the same recognition as able-bodied athletes.

Many made this observation after Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Minister Vincent Meriton told the Special Olympians who returned with 11 medals – 5 of the gold hue, 3 silver and 1 bronze – that they will receive monetary rewards for their performances.

It is true that the rewards of R10,000 (gold medal), R6,000 (silver medal) and R4,000 (bronze medal) do not necessarily compare to the R25,000 (gold medal), R15,000 (silver medal) and R8,000 (bronze medal) able-bodied athletes competing in the ongoing Indian Ocean Island Games will be getting.

The Seychellois gold medallist in Los Angeles were Bernard Larue (100m race in 14.67 seconds and 4kg shot put throw 8.22m), Margaret Quatre (100m walk in 30.13 seconds), Rosie Coralie (bocce singles with 13m) and Daniel Accouche (4kg shot put throw with a distance of 6.49m).

The three silver medallists were Accouche (100m race in 17.14 seconds), Alberto Joubert (bocce singles with 5m) and Marie Jacqueline Rose (bocce singles with 11m). The bronze medal has been won by Rosie Coralie and Marie Jacqueline Rose in bocce doubles with a distance of 5m.

Special Olympics, Olympics and Paralympics

So in an attempt to help our readers understand the difference in monetary rewards it is important to know the difference between Special Olympics, Olympics and even Paralympics.

Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics are three different international sport competitions. Although the Paralympics and Special Olympics are for disabled athletes, there is little similarity, if any, between them.

The two organisations are different in many ways, but the main three are: the disability categories of athletes that compete in the programme, the criteria and philosophy under which the athletes compete, and the structures of the individual organisations.

The athletes in each organisation are very different. In the Special Olympics, the athletes must have cognitive delays, intellectual or developmental disabilities. The age minimum is eight years old, and a majority of athletes involved with Special Olympics are children, although adults do take part too. There are age divisions.

In contrast, athletes involved in Paralympic sports are mainly those with physical disabilities as opposed to intellectual ones. However, there are also two categories for blind swimmers and one for swimmers with intellectual disabilities. There is no age limit or minimum for the Paralympic games, as long as the athlete is at a reasonable age to compete, but most paralympians are adults because the level of competition is elite and development in the technique and power of the sport requires many years of training. There are age divisions at a junior level, but once a junior age athlete moves into actual paralympic competition, there are no age divisions.

While there are some exceptions, generally an athlete going to a Special Olympic competition may spend one season learning to swim and practicing swimming once or twice a week. The next season, they may practice volleyball, and then compete in Special Olympics volleyball games.

An athlete training for the Paralympics, on the other hand, has essentially the same training regimen as an Olympic athlete, with year round, intense daily and highly specialised training in a specific sport.

The criteria and philosophy under which athletes compete differ widely in the two organisations.

The Special Olympics believes in using athletics as an avenue to reach an individual person’s maximum potential. No one is excluded or left out based on their skill. All athletes are welcomed and rewarded for working hard, trying their best and maximising their potential. Selection for higher level competition may occur through a lottery type system.

In Paralympic activities, athletes with disabilities are welcomed to train, but the emphasis is on elite level competition. Qualifying standards become harder and harder at each level of competition. Each sport in the Paralympic Games has its own criteria and standards, so in order to compete, you must be one of the best based on your performance. Only the top athletes in the world in each category are chosen to represent their individual countries in the Paralympic Games. Similar to the Olympic athlete, fractions of a second, or a centimetre may separate the winners.

The structures of the respective organisations also differ greatly. The Special Olympics is a worldwide organisation for athletes with intellectual disabilities with a goal of spreading awareness of inclusion, acceptance, and dignity for all those taking part. Programmes exist throughout 170 countries and over 220 programmes are operating daily. It is governed by an international governing board of directors. There is no affiliation with the Olympics or the Olympic Games. The Paralympics however, is run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The IPC and the IOC, which governs the Olympics, have joined together. The country which is selected to host the Olympic Games must also host the Paralympic Games the following week. The IPC committee members are chosen from around the world to best represent international disabled athletes. The highest level of governance in the programme is The General Assembly and includes members from 165 nations. Each country taking part in the Paralympics has a National Governing Organisation (NGO) and holds a roster of licensed Paralympic athletes. The policies and rules for these athletes are similar to those for Olympic athletes, such as mandatory random drug testing.

It is important to point out that although all these three competitions are internationally recognised, the Olympics and Paralympics are very highly recognised.

Divisioning in Special Olympics sports

According to the Special Olympics website, the fundamental difference between Special Olympics competitions and those of other sports organisations is that athletes of all ability levels are encouraged to take part, and every athlete is recognised for his/her performance. Competitions are structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in equitable divisions.

Historically, Special Olympics has suggested that all divisions be created so that the variance between the highest and lowest scores within that division does not differ by more than 15 percent. This 15 percent statement is not a rule but should be used as a guideline for establishing equitable divisions when the number of athletes competing is appropriate.

Athletes are also expected to give maximum effort when competing. This is the only way the divisioning process can work as it was intended. Athletes who do not take part honestly and with maximum effort in all preliminary trials and/or finals violate the true spirit of competition and may even be disqualified from competition.

Coaches are also critical in helping competition management teams make divisioning work. Divisioning works best when coaches submit preliminary scores. This helps athletes get into the proper division as well as gain additional competition experience.

An athlete's ability is the primary factor in divisioning Special Olympics competitions. The ability of an athlete or team is determined by an entry score from a prior competition or the result of a seeding round or preliminary event at the competition itself. Other factors that are significant in establishing competitive divisions are age and sex.

Ideally, competition is enhanced when each division accommodates 3-8 competitors or teams of similar ability. In some cases, the number of athletes or teams within a competition will be insufficient to achieve this goal. The following describes the sequential process for creating equitable divisions.

Compiled by G.G.