[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 15467-15468] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL ______ HON. KENNY C. HULSHOF of missouri in the house of representatives Thursday, July 17, 2008 Mr. HULSHOF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 40th anniversary of an organization that has profoundly enriched the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities and society as a whole through sports competition. Special Olympics International has promoted the benefits of sports competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities since 1968, when Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics and convened its first International Games in Chicago. Two years later, in 1971, Special Olympics Missouri opened its doors and started programs for Missourians with intellectual disabilities. For more than 36 years, Special Olympics Missouri has been providing sports training and competitions for athletes ages 8 and up. The first Missouri Summer Games were held in 1975, that same year Missouri Special Olympics sent its first athletes to International Summer Games. Except for a brief hiatus in Columbia, Missouri--my hometown--the State Summer Games have been held at Fort Leonard Wood. Today, Missourians from the ages of 8 to 80 compete in Special Olympics, with an average age around 25. Special Olympics provide year- round sports training and athletics competition for Missouri's children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Missouri currently serves more than 15,000 athletes with mental disabilities, in 19 sports, at 152 competitions throughout Missouri, with 4 statewide competitions, and more than 1,370 of Missouri's finest citizens who serve as volunteer coaches. Special Olympics Missouri athletes have participated in competitions all over the World from Ames, Iowa in our own backyard to Anchorage, Alaska, Toronto, Canada, Dublin, Ireland, Nagano, Japan, and just last year--Shanghai, China. Through sports, these individuals develop improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence, and a more positive self- image. My colleagues know that as Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports, I wholeheartedly believe that sports involvement improves one's health, character, and leadership skills. The Caucus believes in promoting the values of sportsmanship, civility, respect, safety, fun and fitness among the players, coaches, parents, and officials. I am proud to tell you that Special Olympics promotes these same values in its programs and especially in its Healthy Athletes and Unified Sports programs. In recent years, Special Olympics Missouri has expanded its reach o address health and fitness issues unique to individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Healthy Athletes Program provides health screenings in conjunction with competitions. Special Olympics Unified Sports is a program that combines approximately equal numbers of Special Olympics athletes and athletes [[Page 15468]] without mental disabilities (called Partners) on sports teams for training and competition. Throughout the year, in a variety of sports ranging from basketball to golf to figure skating, Unified Sports athletes improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills, challenge the competition and have fun, too. The concept of combining athletes with mental disabilities and those without was first introduced in the mid-1980s to provide another level of challenge for higher ability athletes and to promote equality and inclusion. Today, the initiative includes virtually all Special Olympics sports. Unified Sports enables athletes to: Learn new sports, develop higher-level sports skills and have new competition experiences; Experience a sense of meaningful inclusion, as each athlete is ensured of playing a valued role on the team; Socialize with peers and form friendships (the initiative provides a forum for positive social interaction between teammates and often leads to long-lasting friendships) and; Participate in their communities and have choices outside of Special Olympics. In 1997, TIME magazine published a story about a Unified Sports partner from Missouri, Ryan Brimer of Boonville. The Missouri Police Chiefs Association has been a big supporter of Special Olympics Missouri through its Law Enforcement Torch Run. What began as a 30-mile run is now a four-day relay that covers more than 950 miles and 1,000 runners. Now more than a run, the Torch Run is a campaign to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics. It originates at 25 different locations around the State of Missouri and ends at the State Summer Games. Nearly 200 agencies and 2,500 officers volunteer all year to make the Torch Run happen. In fact, Missouri's event consistently ranks as one of the top ten fundraising Torch Runs in the world. I am proud of Missouri's law enforcement officers who give of their time for this noble cause. Special Olympics themes of inclusion, health, sportsmanship, leadership, and fun in sports make the world and Missouri a better place for individuals with and without disabilities. I am proud to congratulate Special Olympics on its years of achievement and I thank Special Olympics on behalf of all Missourians. ____________________