SPORTS | Striving for excellence
10 February 2009
Mauritanian Snowshoers Hit the Snow at Special Olympics
Idaho town hosting Mauritanian athletes
Nouakchott, Mauritania — It’s difficult to imagine training for a snowshoeing competition in the balmy, flat capital city of Nouakchott, Mauritania. But Special Olympics Director Eyde Ould Sidi Mohamed is busy preparing his Mauritanian snowshoeing team for the February 2009 Special Olympics in Boise, Idaho.
“Countries without snow practice in sand,” said Eyde. “They use the dunes like mountains.”
Eyde recently attended a snowshoeing training session in Nouakchott for coaches and participants sponsored by the Middle East and North African Office of the Special Olympics, based in Cairo, Egypt. The committee provides Eyde’s team with equipment such as snowshoes, hats, gloves and jackets — items unavailable in the arid desert — for training and the games. During the session, trainers taught coaches and athletes to use snowshoeing equipment on hard sand, which has a similar consistency to packed snow. They practiced on the dunes, learning what to expect on ice.
A full-time English teacher by trade, Eyde was recruited by the Special Olympics regional office in Amman, Jordan. He accepted a job to establish the team in 1997 and continues to teach English. Mauritania has participated in four Special Olympics competitions with Eyde, including two in the United States in 1999 and 2001, one in Ireland in 2003 and one in China in 2007. Before 2003, the Special Olympics Games were only held in the United States. “We love the diversity of the U.S.,” said Eyde.
GAMES ENABLE THE DISABLED
In a country of barely 3 million, with at least 1,300 recognized developmentally handicapped citizens, there is little public information about disabilities. Most schools refuse to accept mentally handicapped children, and few specialized institutions are equipped with appropriate programs. Even in the capital, individualized care is not available.
Unlike the Paralympics — for those with purely physical limitations — the Special Olympics target the developmentally disabled and take place every two years. The Special Olympics provide a chance for the team members to become respected and productive members of society. Aside from their training, the athletes take part in public awareness activities designed to dispel stereotypes and open communication.
Eyde said that these sessions are effective. Some family members of disabled athletes, who may be reluctant to talk about their experiences, come to accept and be proud of their loved ones.
In 2006, Mauritania began its First Annual National Special Olympics Competition, designed to run concurrent to the global games. More than 150 athletes took part, and by the second edition of the games in 2008, there were more than 200 competitors. All of these events are made possible through a vast network of volunteers. Eyde said he initially relied on those he knew — his family and friends — but as word spread, the volunteer base expanded.
When asked if things have changed for the mentally handicapped since he first began taking part in these games, Eyde said that this year is better than 1999, “but there is much more work to do.” He also said that many Mauritanians suffer from epilepsy and lack the money, the medication and the ability to follow a regime of daily doses. During the Special Olympics Games, athletes benefit from free screenings through the “Healthy Athletes” program, but many need this kind of attention at home.
IDAHO TOWN HOSTS MAURITANIAN ATHLETES
For this year’s games, the Mauritanian team is paired with Twin Falls, Idaho, the host town that will welcome them two days in advance of the games. This year, a non-athlete delegate — Hamza Ould Idoumou — will participate in a concurrent Global Youth Activation Summit bringing together 130 youths, with and without disabilities, from the ages of 12 to 20 to participate in leadership training programs, conferences and interactive sports experiences. The Special Olympics director in the United States also called Hamza to remind him to bring warm clothes because of the cold winter temperatures in Idaho.
When asked if he had questions about the games, Hamza asked if he would be able to call his parents from the United States. Most athletes migrate to Nouakchott from their home villages in Mauritania many miles away — including Kankossa, Ayoun and Kiffa — in order to train for the competition. Because of the high cost of transportation, their families are unable to join them in the capital and can only wish them well via telephone.
The 2009 Mauritanian snowshoe team members said they are motivated to participate in the Special Olympics because sports are healthy and fun, and they have the opportunity to travel and meet people with similar challenges from around the world.
Three-time Mauritanian Special Olympics athlete Silla Boudy stated firmly that the games were more about participation than competition, but then added with a grin that during the 2007 games in China, “We beat Venezuela 3-0 in soccer … [and] we will bring back a gold medal in snowshoeing this year!”
See “Special Olympics Athletes Set to Compete in 2009 Winter Games” for more information.
For more information about the Special Olympics, see the Special Olympics and the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games Web sites.
Heather Carlin Fabrikant is the public affairs officer at the American Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
