It’s the world’s biggest multi-sport event for 2022. More than 5000 athletes from the United States and Caribbean compete this week at the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando Florida.
The quadrennial national event was first held in 2006, an offshoot of the Special Olympics World Games founded in 1968 for intellectually disabled athletes. The Special Olympics remains the only organization outside the orbit of the IOC to be allowed to include “Olympics” as part of its name.
The Orlando event opened June 5 with a ceremony in Exploria Stadium, the home pitch for the Orlando City MLS club. ESPN World of Sport in Kissimmee, just south of Orlando is the site for athletics and eight other marquee sports. The sports network is airing the games across three platforms including ABC.
Another half-dozen venues are spread around the Central Florida region.
While all seems well this week in Orlando, just 10 days ago Florida Governor Rick DeSantis said Special Olympics faced $27.5 million in fines for requiring participants to be vaccinated. Rather than battle the State of Florida on the eve of the games or go bankrupt paying fines, Special Olympics International lifted the vaccine requirement for the Orlando organizing committee.
SOI still maintains an official position that requires Special Olympics athletes to be vaccinated against Covid. The group is at high risk of complications from the coronavirus say medical experts.
The disappearance of a half dozen credentialed members of the Haitian football team is the big story in Orlando at the midway point of the games. The group, said to include one athlete and five staff, are reported to have dropped their keys to the front desk of their hotel, leaving belongings behind.
Foul play is not suspected says the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department. Florida has the largest Haitian ex-pat population in the U.S. , numbering about 280,000.
Special Olympics USA says in a statement that it is concerned for the welfare of the missing.
“The reason for their departure from the Games is currently unknown.
“The well-being of these delegates is our foremost concern. Local authorities have indicated they have no reason to believe the health and safety of any of the individuals is at risk. To expand the reach and effectiveness of law enforcement’s efforts to locate these individuals, they have been reported as missing persons,” says the statement.
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