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Special Olympics Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), has inaugurated a four-day General Orientation Training for Coaches in Accra. The event attracted 53 participants from Greater Accra, Volta region, Central, Ashanti and Western North Region.
The training program aims to enhance the skills of coaches in areas such as event management, competition organization, and more.
Special Olympics Ghana, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to providing sports training for children and adults with intellectual disabilities to end discrimination.
Mr. Joe Mutua, Facilitator for the Orientation training Program and Development at Special Olympics Africa, at the launch of the event last Tuesday in Accra expressed his satisfaction with the enthusiasm demonstrated by the coaches.
In an interview, he highlighted the mission to expand the pool of special athletes.
“After the training, we expect the coaches to recruit new coaches and train them. These new coaches will then go on to recruit athletes because we need more athletes,” Mr. Mutua explained.
He praised the Ghana Education Service for its support in driving the campaign, noting that many of the participating coaches are teachers who have been given the time to join the Special Olympics training.
“Most of our coaches are teachers, and GES has enabled them to participate by providing free time to join Special Olympics and be part of this training,” he said.
Mr. Mutua urged Ghanaians to embrace this opportunity as a means of promoting inclusion and fostering an environment where everyone has freedom and opportunities.
Mr. Stephen Kwaku Owusu, Deputy Director General of GES, highlighted the importance of this collaboration in fulfilling GES`s mandate to ensure inclusion.
He emphasized the role of the training in strengthening the capacity of teachers and learners.
“This is a fulfillment of our mandate as the GES to ensure inclusion, and with Special Olympics Ghana, we are collaborating well to make sure all aspects that will strengthen the capacity of our teachers and learners are covered,” said Mr. Owusu.
He also underscored the significance of supporting school children in leveraging the capacity-building process to uncover their talents in sports. Mr. Owusu commended Special Olympics Ghana for their efforts in supporting learners with special education needs in schools and communities.
Last year, the GES signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Special Olympics Ghana to foster interest in sports among children with special needs and provide them with future opportunities.
Special Olympics is a global organization that serves more than 4 million athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year.
Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing, but the unmet need to reach more people with intellectual disabilities is staggering.
