October 4, 2004

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ROMANIA HOSTS NATIONAL GAMES

A grant check for US$500,000 from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to Special Olympics Romania was presented on 23 September 2004 during a press conference, held on the eve of the Program’s National Games in Bucharest.

The three-year grant, titled “Support for Changing Attitudes,” will enable Special Olympics Romania to: improve the quality of life for individuals with intellectual disabilities; improve the support and information offered to families of Special Olympics athletes; and increase public awareness of the contribution people with disabilities make as valued citizens. The grant is expected to have an impact on 15,000 athletes.

During the press conference, USAID Mission Director Rodger Garner presented the check to Special Olympics Romania athlete Emilia Vaduva. Vaduva, 26, was raised in a center for children with disabilities in Timisoara. Now she is a role model for people with disabilities throughout the country.

“All too often, someone with a disability experiences greater challenges as a result of other people’s actions than he or she faces as a result of the disability itself,” said Garner. “People who aren’t disabled sometimes don’t know how to act. Special Olympics, among other things, will provide opportunities for people with and without disabilities to know each other better and learn to value their differences,” he added.

More than 350 Special Olympics Romania athletes competed in football (soccer), table tennis, athletics and gymnastics in the National Games, organized from 24-26 September 2004.

Opening Ceremonies, held at Iolanda Balas Soter Stadium, was attended by a host of dignitaries, including legendary national sportswoman Iolanda Balas Soter, the stadium’s namesake. Balas Soter completely dominated women’s high jumping between 1957 and 1967, winning an incredible 140 consecutive competitions and breaking the world record 14 times. Her 1961 record of 1.91 meters remained unbeaten for 10 years. Balas Soter was equally successful at the Olympics. In 1960 she jumped 1.85 meters to win the gold medal by 14 centimeters. She defended her title in 1964, winning by 10 centimeters with a final leap of 1.90m.

U.S. Ambassador J.D. Crouch II addressed the participating athletes and officially opened the Games. “As U.S. Ambassador, I’m proud to see Special Olympics — which symbolizes the best of what democracy can offer — being embraced here in Romania. "Democracy means that every person is valued, that every person can change his or her society for the better. Over the next few days, we will see those values in action,” Crouch said.

A letter from Prime Minister Adrian Nastase was read and a recorded message from Special Olympics Board Members Nadia Comaneci (who won three gold, one silver and one bronze medal in gymnastics for Romania at the 1976 Olympics) and Bart Conner (who won two gold medals in gymnastics for the United States at the 1984 Olympics) was shown.

A contingent of U.S. Marines and Romanian law enforcement officers who were participating in the traditional Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics brought the “Flame of Hope” into the stadium, where it was then carried to a cauldron by Maria Cioncan, a bronze medalist (1,500 meters) for Romania at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and Special Olympics Romania athlete Andrei Nita.

The first Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® initiative was held in Romania during the Games, when approximately 95 athletes were screened at a Special Olympics FUNfitness (the physical therapy component of the initiative) clinic. FUNfitness is designed to assess and improve flexibility, functional strength and balance; to educate participants, families and coaches about the importance of flexibility, strength and balance; and to provide a hands-on opportunity for participants to learn about physical therapy.

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