Cricket at Special Olympics 2013: From a fan's viewpoint

Cricket at Special Olympics

The inaugural Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games was held at the city of Newcastle in Australia from 1-7 December 2013, with cricket being a part of it. One of our readers, who was lucky enough to be a part of it, shares his delightful experience with us.

November 29:I was fortunate to travel to Newcastle to the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games as the Technical Delegate (TD) for Cricket. Along with me for cricket, 8 TD’s for their respective sports had been invited to manage the various sports activities as a part of the Games Organizing Committee (GOC). I got the first glimpse of the week to come, before we touched Aussie shores; travelling with the professional and smartly dressed Bangladesh delegation of 140 athletes and support staff on the same flight from Kuala Lumpur.

We arrived at Sydney only to be given a warmly welcome by an army of volunteers at the airport, after which we were safely escorted to our pick up van, again driven by a volunteer for the Games.

For me, this was a great indication of how Australia welcomed these Games. All concerned exuded the spirit of the Special Olympics and were convinced about an enjoyable and memorable week ahead at Newcastle.

November 30:The setting was picturesque with the lovely people gearing up for the host city welcome. The entire contingent of all the 32 participant countries congregated at the Newcastle Sundance and the festive mood took over. The Organizing Committee and the volunteers were working overtime to get everything organized for over 2500 athletes.

Later on, after 4 hours of thorough entertainment, the athletes left for their respective accommodations looking forward to the grand opening ceremony the next day.

December 1:The opening ceremony which was the only ticketed and televised event of the Games, was slated to start at 7 pm. Sure enough, the stadium was buzzing with expectation from 5 pm. This being my first Special Olympics Games, I volunteered to help the GOC with the athlete parade. It was a sight to behold as the athletes strode out with pride in front of 25000 spectators cheering them on.

The athletes were treated to some fabulous entertainment. The ceremony went long into the night. And the athletes left the stadium very happy and at the same time cognizant of the fact that competitions start tomorrow.

December 2:Competition day! First match to start at 10. I reached at 7 at the lovely Newcastle Sports Ground to meet the volunteer team at the venue with whom I would be working for the next 5 days. Their passion for cricket was evident. We set up a class in a room in the guest pavilion and exchanged a quick round of introductions. Most of them were former players or officials.

I had a quick brief run through of each person’s roles and responsibilities and had to cover small sections of rules which are unique to Special Olympics cricket. This being the largest Special Olympics Unified Cricket event, we run through some checks and balances we need to be aware of in terms of scoring and officiating and general game play. Unsurprisingly they assimilate all the info rather easily. So by about 9, the team on-ground was ready and waiting for the athletes to arrive at the ground.

Australia were the hosts of the inaugural Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games

The competition structure was pretty simple – 2 matches a day – 3 countries (India, Bangladesh and Australia) – 4 teams (Australia had 2 teams) and a parallel competition for Unified Cricket with India and Bangladesh sending one Unified team each.

Bangladesh and India started off well, but it was the Australian team which was thrilled to bits with a historic moment happening before their game. Former Australian cricketer, Rick McKosker, who is also a great presence in the Newcastle cricketing circles, presented the legendary Baggy Green caps to the Australian cricketers. The presentation ceremony was not long, but the only words he spoke to them was inspiring to say the least. “You are now a part of a very special club.”

December 3:The dust was beginning to settle as far as the chaos of conducting a tournament was concerned. Far more organized we were as a group and things were starting to go smoothly. But few moments made each day special. A local school decided to watch cricket today, and the students packed the stadium grandstand. The volunteers, being knowledgeable about the game and its traditions, had a few students do a guard of honour for the athletes while they entered the ground. It was a simple gesture but gave immense pleasure and pride to both the students and the athletes alike.

Afternoon, Special Olympics CEO Janet Froetscher made a surprise visit to the Cricket and she made the day for athletes and volunteers. She interacted with us amidst trying to relate the differences between cricket and baseball.

Meanwhile at the competition, Bangladesh was beginning to stake their claim for gold medals both at the traditional as well as unified cricket.

December 4:It was declared as a ‘Rest day’ at the competition. Time for some paperwork to be completed and later on a drive around Newcastle.

We made a trip to the famous beaches to watch the sunset as the temperature began to decline.

December 5:International volunteers day! Thought it would be a good idea for all of the volunteers to indulge in a bit of fun. So a quick match was setup between the volunteers and the athletes.

The match, although competitive, epitomized social inclusion and fun.

We went to up-market Newcastle for a dinner hosted by the volunteers. The group had multiple nationalities but what unites them all is the common initiative of doing their bit towards the Special Olympics movement.

And as was the norm, we all went home after a very fulfilling day!

December 6:Last day of competition. While it spelt a relaxed day for the competition with the medals for all but confirmed, the athletes impressed one and all with the intent and passion. The whole competition was played in keeping with the spirit of the Special Olympics.

Bangladesh went home with the gold medals in Special and Unified Cricket, India bagged Silver in both competitions. The two Australian teams won the Bronze and the fourth place.

To top it, all athletes were ready to return home making innumerable friends and having won many a heart. It was truly their time to shine!