Current and Past Olympians support the Special Olympics movement

6 August 2008

Left to right, Carl Lewis, Rafer Johnson, Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner at the 2004 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games. [Photo by Michael Pliskin] Many past and current Olympians share a passion for Special Olympics equivalent to that of our athletes, family members, volunteers and coaches: Andrey Abduvaliev and Armen Bagdasarov  Nadia Comaneci  Bart Conner  Jamie Costin & brother Niall, Special Olympics Ireland athlete Rafer Johnson Prince Albert [Grimaldi] of Monaco  Mia Hamm Inese Janunzeme Carl Lewis Lasse Virén Yao Ming Andrey Abduvaliev and Armen Bagdasarov Andrey Abduvaliev preparing to throw the hammer in 1994. [Photo © Mike Cooper /Allsport, all rights reserved] Olympic gold medalist (hammer throw, Barcelona, 1992) and two-time world champion Andrey Abduvaliev, currently the General Secretary of the Athletic Federation of Uzbekistan, and Olympic silver medalist (judo, Atlanta, 1996) Armen Bagdasarov helped organize the first Special Olympics football tournament in Uzbekistan on 2 November 2001. The two worked together with Special Olympics Uzbekistan, and in cooperation with Peace Corps Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistan Football Federation and the Tashkent Education Department to produce the event. One hundred and twenty Special Olympics athletes between the ages of 12 and 15 participated. Special Olympics athletes are delighted with their gift of footballs. [Photo courtesy Special Olympics Uzbekistan] The tournament was a collaborative effort among diverse groups caught up by sports fever and a desire to serve the athletes from Uzbekistan. Thanks in part to the efforts of Abduvaliev and Bagdasarov, the Ministry of Internal Affairs even allowed Special Olympics to use its football pitch — the best in the city — free of charge. "Special Olympics Uzbekistan has put a lot of effort into football development and we watched the results of our work at this tournament: 11 of the 13 special schools in Tashkent (the capital city) participated in the event," said Lawrence Leahy, Peace Corps Director. The teams received Special Olympics footballs and certificates from the Sports Committee and Special Olympics. All other participants received certificates of appreciation. The Tashkent International Women's Group and KPMG donated funds for snacks, sodas and lunch for the athletes. The Uzbekistan Olympic Committee gave each athlete a new pair of sneakers, and students from the Tashkent International School, who cheered the athletes on, presented them with boxes of chocolate at the end of the tournament. "There were many rewarding smiles on the athletes' faces and millions of words of appreciation and happiness," Leahy said.           Return to top Nadia Comaneci Montreal, July 1976, the Games of the XXI Olympiad: Nadia Comaneci performs on the balance beam. [Photo credit IOC / Olympic Museum Collections, all rights reserved] Nadia Comaneci, Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist and Member, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, serves as Vice Chair for the Special Olympics Board of Directors. Widely considered the best — and most famous — gymnast ever, Comaneci made Olympic history at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal when, as a member of the Romanian team, she became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10. At those Games she received seven perfect 10s, three gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Four years later at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, she grabbed two gold medals (balance beam and floor exercise) and two silver medals (all-around and team). She has been a dedicated supporter of Special Olympics for more than 10 years. Olympics Gold Medalist and Vice-Chair of the Special Olympics Board of Directors Nadia Comaneci joins Special Olympics Romania athletes at the 2003 World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland. "Special Olympics athletes exemplify the highest ideals of sport. Their dedication to achieve their goals, their courage to fulfill their dreams and their commitment to overcome obstacles deserves the admiration and respect of all of us in the sports world and beyond," Comaneci said. Although she now resides in the United States with her husband Bart Conner, she remains a staunch supporter of her native Romania. "I hope my involvement will help explain what Special Olympics is to people in Romania," Comaneci said.           Return to top Bart Conner Bart Conner, Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist and Member, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, is a member of the Special Olympics Board of Directors. In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, performing before a raucous crowd of U.S. supporters, Conner was a member of the six-man team that won gold in the team competition; in addition, he won the gold medal during individual apparatus competition for his performance on the parallel bars. Bart Conner gives some pointers to an aspiring gymnast at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in North Carolina (USA). Conner is America's most decorated male gymnast; the only American gymnast to win gold medals at every level of national and international competition. In 1976, he was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team, his first of three Olympic berths. After suffering through the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics, Conner competed through to the 1984 Olympics, where he battled back from his second torn biceps injury. "The entire U.S. team, all six guys, had the best meet of our lives, all on the same night. It was incredible," he said. "Even though gymnastics is primarily an individual sport, there is something special about being part of a great team."            Return to top Jamie & Niall Costin Left, Jamie Costin, 27, a two-time Olmpian for Ireland in racewalking, congratulates his brother Niall, 24, after his medal-winning performance in the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. [Photo by Naoise Culhane, IRELAND OUT] Two brothers in Ireland both have their own medals and memories: Niall Costin represented Special Olympics Ireland in the 2003 World Summer Games, competing in the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP). He also had the honor of lighting the cauldron for the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games in 2002. His brother Jamie Costin, who has won Irish, British and European race walking competitions and is currently in the top 30 race walkers in the world, represented Ireland at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and was aiming for a medal in 2004 before he sustained a compressed fracture of the lower back due to a car accident just before the Olympic Games in Athens.           Return to top Prince Albert of Monaco IOC member Prince Albert of Monaco is interviewed about the 2004 Olympic Games. In Athens, in addition to his IOC commitments, he has set himself a challenge that he has yet to achieve — to attend at least one event in every sport. "I came close to it in Sydney where I went to 26 of the 28 sports. But I hope to have a full count this time." [Photo © IOC Olympic Museum Collections] His Serene Highness Crown Prince Albert of Monaco, an accomplished athlete (five-time Olympian) has an involvement in the Olympic Movement that goes further than his athletic participation, as he has also been an IOC member since 1985, as well as a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission since 1989. "I feel very close to the Olympic Movement and of course to the Olympic Games," he said. The Games are "an incredible event that celebrates all that is good in the human spirit. It goes beyond sport," he said. "The Games are a wonderful opportunity for the Olympic Movement, not only to showcase itself in a historical and cultural dimension, but also to pass on the messages of peace, friendship and tolerance." Left to right, Jonathan Blackmon, Special Olympics Texas; His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco; Tony Gorczyca, Special Olympics Maryland; and Michael Quinn, Special Olympics Ireland greet each other in Monte Carlo. The route for the Law Enforcement Torch Run followed the one used for the famous Monte Carlo Grand Prix. [Photo by Diana Roday Hosford] In 2003 Prince Albert showed his support for Special Olympics by hosting the "Flame of Hope" and its accompanying delegation during its stop in Monte Carlo. The Torch Run Final Leg for the 2003 World Summer Games covered more than 15,000 km (9,000 miles) in Europe. On 6 June 2003 the runners proceeded down a 28-kilometer road along the Mediterranean Sea between Nice, France, and Monte Carlo, Monaco. Once there, everyone enjoyed a full day of sports activities, including a Unified Sports® soccer match with athletes, famous football players, Prince Albert and friends. In the evening a gala show took place in the famous Monaco Circus. Mia Hamm Mia Hamm, who is widely recognized as the world's best all-around women's football (soccer) player, and her teammates received a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games. In Atlanta at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, the U.S. Women's team took gold in front of 80,000 fans and at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia the squad won silver. Mia Hamm, second from left, celebrates her second team gold medal with some of her veteran teammates: (from left) Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain and Joy Fawcett. [Photo courtesy ATHENS 2004, © GETTY IMAGES/ Jamie Squire, all rights reserved] She became the youngest woman to ever play with the USA when she made her first national team appearance at 15 in 1987. She has played at the game’s top levels for over half of her life and in 1999, Hamm broke the all-time international scoring record for women and men with her 108th career goal against Brazil.  But awards and accomplishments only tell part of the story of this remarkable athlete; Mamm has always given much of her free time to charitable causes. Special Olympics athletespresent Mia Hamm with an autographed soccer ball in thanks for her support as a member of 1999 Special Olympics World Games Board of Directors. [Photo courtesy Special Olympics North Carolina] Hamm joined the Board of Directors of the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, lending her athletic expertise to Special Olympics athletes who hoped to go for the gold. She held a soccer clinic for Special Olympics North Carolina athletes before the start of a University of North Carolina (UNC) vs. Duke women’s soccer game. Special Olympics soccer players huddled around Hamm to hear words of encouragement and advice. Athletes broke into groups to show off their soccer skills and obtain tips from Hamm and soccer players from the Capital Area Soccer League. At half-time of that game, Special Olympics athletes made a presentation to Hamm in appreciation of her support, marching onto the field carrying the 1999 Games banner and flag, and presenting Hamm with a soccer ball they autographed for her.            Return to top Inese Janunzeme Inese Janunzeme, the javelin gold medal winner in the Games of the XVI Olympiad (1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia) spoke at the ceremonies in Riga. [Photo courtesy of Krzysztof Krukowski, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia] On 6 June 2003, Special Olympics Latvia received national television attention for the first time in the Program's history. Inese Janunzeme, who received the gold medal in javelin in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, (she is Latvia's first Olympic Champion) spoke at the ceremonies honoring the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg in Riga. An 11-kilometer run that started at the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum concluded with a ceremony hosted by President Vaira Vike-Freidrga. More than 50 Latvian police recruits joined the "Guardians of the Flame" as they made their way through town amid the cheers of supporters dotting the streets. "We've been trying to get our athletes on national television for five years and this is the first time ever we have succeeded," said Juris Balodis, Chairman of the Board for Special Olympics Latvia. "Our President understands how important this is. She rearranged her schedule just to be here with us and we are more than grateful."           Return to top Rafer Johnson Rafer Johnson making an awards presentation at the 2002 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games. A three-time world record holder in the decathlon, silver medalist at the 1956 Olympics and gold medalist at the 1960 Games, Rafer Johnson's involvement in Special Olympics began when he attended the first Special Olympics competition in 1968. Johnson was so inspired that he felt that he couldn't help but get involved. Johnson, along with a small group of volunteers, founded Special Olympics California the following year by conducting a competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for 900 individuals with intellectual disabilities. Johnson was one of the original members (1969) of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Southern California and served as its President from 1983 until 1992, when he was named Chairman of the Board of Governors, a position he still holds. Still in college, Rafer Johnson was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year for 1958. [Photo by John G. Zimmerman, courtesy Sports Illustrated.com] Johnson's athletic reputation has endured (the winner of the Olympic decathlon is widely considered the greatest athlete in the world), and with his many connections in the sports world and Hollywood he has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars and recruited dozens of people to support Special Olympics. Winner of the 1960 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete, Johnson retired to begin to work for Peace Corps, founded by Sargent Shriver. It is impossible to quantify the contributions Johnson has made to Special Olympics Southern California, both in terms of volunteer hours and financial contributions. For 36 years, he has made Special Olympics Southern California a part of his life.            Return to top Carl Lewis Carl Lewis, left, hosted a reception when Giorgio Armani partnered with Details magazine to host a photo exhibition of his book, Facce da Sport/Faces of Sport, at Giorgio Armani Los Angeles. Lewis poses with (from left) Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics Founder; Special Olympics Southern California (USA) athletes Carlos Macias, Janelle Spindt and Gilbert Pate, all featured in the book. [Photo credit: Silvia Mautner] Carl Lewis, one of the greatest track & field competitors ever, has become an avid supporter of Special Olympics athletes, being photographed for Facce da Sport/Faces of Sport, a book produced by Giorgio Armani of photographs of athletes from around the world — including Special Olympics athletes — during Milan's Men's Fashion Week in January of this year. "It's a genius idea to break down the barriers and redefine the concept of the front row of fashion with Special Olympics," said Lewis. "Everyone has a seat in the house of Armani." In another show of support for the movement, Lewis visited Egypt in March 2004 for a week-long visit. He participated in a marathon with Special Olympics athletes at the foot of the Pyramids. "From my point of view, as an athlete, everyone should have an equal chance to train and compete and enjoy the feeling of victory as we are all human beings," he said. Carl Lewis during the long jump event at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. [Photo credit IOC / Getty Images/David Cannon, all rights reserved] Lewis has won a total of nine gold medals (one of only four Olympic athletes to do so) and is one of only three to win the same individual event four times. In 1984, Lewis matched Jesse Owens' feat of winning four gold medals with victories in the 100m, the 200m, the long jump and the 4x100m relay. At the 1988 Seoul Games, Lewis gained a second gold medal in the 100m, defended his long jump title and finished second in the 200m. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Lewis won a third gold medal in the long jump and anchored the world record-setting U.S. relay team. In 1996, Lewis qualified for the U.S. Olympic squad by placing third in the long jump trials. Still, he showed he still had one huge leap left in him, as his 27'10¾" at Atlanta was his longest jump (at sea level) in four years. Twelve years after his triumphs in Los Angeles he was still the Olympic long jump champion.           Return to top Lasse Virén Lasse Virén carries the "Flame of Hope" in a Law Enforcement Torch Run. [Photo courtesy Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia] Three time Olympian and gold medalist Lasse Virén of Finland, renowned for his distance running, keeps up the pace on behalf of Special Olympics. On 22 May 2000 Virén led 25 international law enforcement officers and hundreds of runners on the Special Olympics Torch Run Final Leg through Brussels. The Torch Run was the kickoff event for the Special Olympics European Games held in Groningen, the Netherlands—the largest multi-sports event in Europe for individuals with intellectual disabilities that year. He followed that effort by leading the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg through Helsinki, Finland on 5 June 2003. "As an athlete, I share with Special Olympics athletes their enthusiasm, commitment and love of sport. Therefore, it is an honor for me to be able to help bring to the attention of the public the accomplishments of the athletes who will compete in the European Games," said Virén, who is a member of the Finnish Parliament. Virén leads the field on his way to victory in the men's 5000 meters at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. [Photo credit IOC / Getty Images/Tony Duffy Virén was a 23-year-old policeman when he made his Olympic debut in 1972. His first event was the 10,000 meters. Virén won by six meters and broke the seven-year-old world record. Ten days later, in the 5,000-meter final, Virén fought off the challenge of Mohamed Gammoudi of Tunisia to complete the long distance track double. At the 1976 Montréal Olympics, Virén had an easier time in the 10,000 meters, winning by 30 meters. The 5,000m was more difficult: although Virén was in the lead at the beginning of the last lap; only five meters separated the first six runners. Coming out of the final turn, Virén beat back a fierce challenge by New Zealand's Dick Quax and won his fourth gold medal, achieving the rare double repeat in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, with wins both at Montreal in 1976 as well as at Munich in 1972. He participated in his final Olympics in Moscow in 1980, placing fifth in the 10,000 meters.           Return to top Yao Ming Yao Ming during the Opening Ceremony. [Photo courtesy ATHENS 2004, © ATHOC / GETTY IMAGES, all rights reserved] International icon and basketball star Yao Ming was proud to serve as the flag bearer for his country, China — standing out as the tallest ever — at the 2004 Olympic Games. Yao was welcomed to the Special Olympics family as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador in June 2004 in Shanghai, China; he had just participated in the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay as a torch-bearer. Yao admitted to some trepidation as he carried the Olympic torch to light a ceremonial cauldron in Beijing. "I had to slow down my pace to make sure the flame didn't go out," he said. As a Global Ambassador, Yao is charged with taking Special Olympics' message of inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities to a worldwide audience, in addition to working directly with Special Olympics athletes in a variety of contexts. In 2007, Yao was a proud supporter of the Special Olympics World Summer Games, which took place in his hometown of Shanghai.           Return to top