Special Olympics launches Softball programme in Guam

2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Athens Photo: Special Olympics

HAGATNA, Guam – Special Olympics Guam will expand their sports line-up by launching Softball at the Paseo Stadium in Hagatna this Saturday, Dec. 2, with a softball jamboree.

The jamboree will feature around 80 players, divided into four to five teams, with each team having a head coach, as well as four to five assistance coaches. The goal of the weekend is to attract interest for the future, including doubling the number of athletes.

CEO of Special Olympics Guam, Frank Florig said the program was a result of so many coincidences converging on the Special Olympics. Besides local and governmental support, the Marriott Properties group donated almost $8,000 to purchase equipment for the players.

“It’s a very sustainable sport on Guam. And unlike our other activities, the majority of Special Olympics softball players are adults; they don’t often get the spotlight so they’re real excited to play,” said Florig. “Our jamboree this week will determine if we have a league next year, and a unified partner.”

Unified Sports join people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Softball – a medal sport in the Special Olympics World Summer Games – is played by co-ed athletes in the slow pitch softball discipline. The next World Summer Games will be celebrated in March 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.