Athletes from all over the world gathered in Berlin for the Special Olympics World Summer Games which began on June 17 with strong participation from athletes from Oman participating in 13 games.
Amongst thousands of athletes is 24-year-old Abdulrahman al Raqadi who says, “Sports is about building life.”
In 2011 he joined Special Olympics Oman and today is an athlete. In 2017 he participated in the World Winter Games in Austria for skating but soon he found his true passion — Tennis. Today, he is an assistant coach and a sportsman with lofty ambitions.
At the Special Olympics Oman Team he delivered a presentation on the ‘Importance of skill building’ with the project team — Leadership Development Sport.
“I like to spread awareness in my community about inclusion and the abilities of athlete,” says Abdulrahman.
He has a goal, that is to improve knowledge and skills of athletes who have the ambition to become assistant coach in specific sport.
The major part of the goal is to give the athletes confidence to train youth with and without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, (IDD), enjoy inclusive sports activities, connect and make friends.
According to him, it is important to spread awareness in the community about abilities of Special Olympics Oman athletes by showing their athletic and leadership skills, when given the right training. His project goal is to train eight athletes to become assistant coaches in tennis, bowling and equestrian.
The lessons he has learned through his journey are responsibility, and the fact that athletes with IDD can lead on the ground.
“We don’t have to fear anything when we put a mind to it we must always be looking at the potential,” he noted.
According to him, the next steps are to continue sports training, assure the continuation of training, apply the same concepts to other types of sports, and share the success stories with his friends and athletes.
Abdulrahman today has secured employment in the private sector working in the digital medium. His ultimate dream is to have his own Tennis Training Centre.
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