IAAF Kids & Youth News logo (© c)
CThe Fiji Athletics Association, the Fiji Paralympics’ Committee and the Coca Cola Games partnered to provide the opportunity for kids with disabilities to participate in an athletic competition amongst other sports. Their effort to give children of all abilities the opportunity to participate in athletics is truly inspirational.
All children should have the opportunity to play sport. This simple maxim is slowly becoming a reality thanks to the hard work of Saimoni 'Biggs' Nainoca, the Fiji Paralympic Committee's Senior Sport Development Officer.
A former special education teacher, Nainoca has been working tirelessly for the last four years to increase the participation of people with disabilities in mainstream sport and is responsible for managing the Duavata Sports Programme ('Duavata' is the Fijian word meaning 'one, together'). The programme is funded through the Australian Sports Outreach Programme, an initiative of the Australian Government's aid programme.
In April 2010, 18 students from Fiji's Special Education Centers participated in the Coca Cola Games. Coke Games is the world's biggest schools athletics sports meet. Now fashioned as the Coca Cola Lite Games, the games provide an opportunity for young athletes to showcase their talents and eventually make it to Fiji Team. Every year almost 3000 athletics from more than 150 schools around Fiji take part with somewhat 40,000 spectators in the two day event.
'I’d like both players and coaches to rethink their perceptions of people with disabilities, to see them for their abilities and accept them as equal and talented opponents' Nainoca said. Nainoca believes the walls are being broken down and the successful inclusion of athletes with disabilities in a range of mainstream sports systems demonstrates that it doesn’t have to be difficult.
This is a great example of an initiative to broaden the reach of athletics to new segments of society. How has your organisation encouraged more children for all backgrounds to participate in athletic activities? If you want to share some of your own experiences please contact us at worldplan@iaaf.org with a short summary, and a member of our editorial team will contact you. Together, we can share in the spirit of the Athletics’ World Plan.