Athlete Leadership in Action at the 2005 Global Athlete Congress Special Olympics Athlete and Global Spokesperson Loretta Claiborne (USA) (right) served as Global Athlete Congress Chair for the first day's session. At the end of the first session, the athletes elected a new Chair, 2002-2004 International Global Messenger Ephraim Mohlakane from South Africa.       For more information on specific aspects of the Global Athlete Congress, please visit the links below:      • Schedule of Activities      • Global Session Topic Discussions      • Meet the Delegates      • Photo Gallery "Come and see the changes being made by athletes of Special Olympics around the world!" This invitation extended by 2005 Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress Chair Loretta Claiborne heralded the opening session of the Congress, held 6-8 June 2005 in the City of Knowledge, a lush and sprawling campus that was once a U.S. military base in Panama City. This second Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress (the first was held in 2000 in the Netherlands) provides a forum for the movement's leaders — the athletes — to discuss pressing issues and make recommendations to change Special Olympics policies. Special Olympics President and CEO Bruce Pasternack (left) and First Lady of Panama Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos spoke at the Opening Session of the 2005 Global Athlete Congress in Panama City. Speakers at the opening session included Manuel de J. Campos, Director, National Secretary for the Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities, and Special Olympics President and CEO Bruce Pasternack, who announced, "We are embarking today on a journey, a journey that has taken Special Olympics from a small program with 1,000 athletes from just a few countries in 1968 to today, where we have nearly 2 million athletes from more than 160 countries and 200 Programs around the world. The journey continues with this Congress, which will help our movement grow to the next level, not just in numbers but in quality." Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos, the First Lady of the Republic of Panama, said, "For us it is an honor to have the presence of each athlete in our country. It is our dream for you to hold your destiny and decisions in your hands as you are doing today." The opening session then took a dramatic turn as Special Olympics District of Columbia athlete Kester Edwards introduced each athlete delegate to the Congress by name and country as they marched into the conference center to take their places in Special Olympics history and deliberate on issues they deemed priorities on behalf of all the movement's athletes. The 67 athletes from 35 countries worked behind closed doors in private, athletes-only discussions to develop a strategy that will set precedents and affect athletes for years to come. (Meet the athlete delegates of the 2005 Global Athlete Congress.) For three days, it was a marathon of meetings, noisy hallway convocations and hushed solemnity as the athletes deliberated on four issues that athletes around the world had identified as important to them: How should Special Olympics deal with "sandbagging" in preliminary races? Should there be a minimum standard for how much training and competition is available to each athlete in each sport offered? Should every Special Olympics Program be required to develop a strategy for athlete leaders to participate in government relations to support the movement? Should athletes be involved in fundraising for the movement and, if so, how? After extensive discussion, athletes voted on the topics they were considering in order to provide their input to the movement, using red, green or yellow cards to indicate their selections. (Review the results of the athletes' deliberations.) Special Olympics Canada athlete Ken McLean was passionate about athletes being heard. "We will go back to our respective countries and tell our athletes and Boards exactly what we think. We hope our words will be inscribed in stone, that is to say, that Special Olympics, all the way up to the International Board and in between, will take in what we say, understand what we feel, and that our deliberations are not hollow and they will implement them." And all the athletes were equally as circumspect. These agenda-driven athletes met behind closed doors, alone, without the hierarchy of Special Olympics staff, management or mentors to debate and decide their own future. Special Olympics Kansas (USA) Richard Conley was upbeat about the outcome of the Congress. "We are here to improve Special Olympics in a very positive way." Terrence Davis from St. Vincent agreed. "Getting athletes together to say these are the things that affect us, whether good or bad, is definitely an important step in an organization going from strength to strength. In order for us to effectively help each other, we need to be open to new ideas and opinions." The moment that Athlete Congress Chair Loretta Claiborne took center stage, surveyed the Congress participants and called the session to order, the reality of self-determination conjured intense pride and bubbling exuberance. Each day's deliberation on one to two of the four issues followed the same process: Ten small groups of six to seven athletes introduced the issue and began preliminary discussion. Claiborne, overseer of the first day's proceedings, then called for a break to open the floor for general discussion. Dozens of athletes took turns to present powerful, straightforward arguments on the issue. Some of the information they presented originated from focus groups they held with athletes back in their home countries; some from careful, thoughtful research athletes had accumulated; and some were in the form of personal anecdotes. This open-mic session helped Congress athletes get a broader and deeper perspective of the issue at hand and sparked further discussion as they reconvened in their small groups to reassess and refine their recommendations. Next, Claiborne, along with facilitators, identified three recurring themes that had evolved from the small group discussions. After narrowing the focus of their further debate, athletes were asked to individually consider their choice from these themes and vote by raising a red, green or yellow card to indicate their selections. It was an affirming moment when cards sprouted from each athlete's hand; embodying their decisions, their voices, their future. At the end of the first day's session, athletes voted once more, this time to elect a new Athlete Congress Chair. Ten candidates were selected and they represented a wide range of countries from China and Costa Rica to the United States and South Africa. Nominees held court with impromptu speeches and when the votes were tallied, Ephraim Mohlakane from South Africa became the new Congress leader. In his acceptance speech, Mohlakane said, "This position is not easy, but it will be easy because of the athletes of Special Olympics. Special Olympics has changed a lot of people's lives; it has changed attitudes, so I hope we can do much more together." Athletes have shown they are no longer fledgling leaders but seasoned spokespeople and effective decision makers. For more information on specific aspects of the Global Athlete Congress, please visit the links below: Schedule of Activities Global Session Topic Discussions Meet the Delegates Photo Gallery