Special Olympics
Excerpt from Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
SENATORS’ STATEMENTS
Special Olympics
Hon. Marty Deacon: Honourable senators, colleagues and friends, as we return to the Senate and watch the summer wind down, I’m happy to share with you a celebration of the summer that will continue throughout the year. Today we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Special Olympics movement.
You may recall the worldwide festivities that occurred this past July celebrating the Special Olympics. Iconic landmarks like the CN Tower and the London Eye were lit up in red. July 21 was declared the Global Day of Inclusion in support of the Special Olympics. To mark this event, Tim Hortons sold a red doughnut designed by Special Olympic athlete Savannah Lussier from Grande Prairie, the proceeds of which were sent to the Special Olympics. I was thrilled to catch our own Senator Munson on the news celebrating with athletes as well.
Colleagues, the Special Olympics transforms lives, not only by developing sports skills and providing health benefits but also by teaching life skills, values, discipline, socialization and inclusion. Whether it is playing a favourite sport or giving a speech in public, every challenge requires the same strength, determination and confidence.
I am so personally proud to remind you that a Canadian, Dr. Frank Hayden, played a vital role in the creation of the Special Olympics. Dr. Hayden, my professor way back during my McMaster undergraduate days, was a research leader on individuals with intellectual disabilities. His work caught the attention of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who invited Dr. Hayden to Chicago to organize the first Special Olympics Summer Games with the Kennedy Foundation in 1968. That year, Dr. Hayden invited a small Toronto floor hockey team to compete, the only other athletes competing with 1,000 American competitors.
Today, not too much later, 172 countries participate in the Special Olympics. This impacts more than 5 million individuals with intellectual disabilities. Nearly 50,000 of these athletes are Canadian children, youth and adults participating in approximately 5,800 community-based sports programs delivered across Canada. These numbers are significant, something Canada should be very proud of.
Honourable senators, our Canadian athletes and coaches will soon be competing in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi. Let us support these fine young people, their families and volunteers in this life-influencing time and opportunity.