Stakeholders were left brimming after the June 27 staging of the St Catherine Unified Sports Football Rally, which is part of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools initiative.

McAuley Primary emerged winners of the one-day rally after clipping Spanish Town Primary in the final.

“It was a successful event with spirited competition throughout from the teams,” Special Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) Executive Director Roy Howell said.

“Some of the students are from tough communities, so it was especially heart-warming to see them and their teachers, the residents, supporters, match officials and coaches come out like this,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The Unified Champion Schools initiative, sponsored by the European-based Stavros Niarchos Foundation, promotes social inclusion by combining young people with and without intellectual disabilities for sport competition.

The main aim for unifying the students is to use sports to build awareness and understanding and to foster inclusion and behavioural change.

Last month’s St Catherine leg, hosted by Windsor School of Special Education, comprised five football teams featuring girls and boys, aged eight to 15 years old. They competed in a round-robin format, with the top two schools advancing to the championship match.

Spanish Town Primary finished the preliminary stage with eight points, followed by McAuley Primary and hosts Windsor School of Special Education, who had six points each. St John’s Primary ended with two points, while Horizon Park Primary closed with one point.

McAuley earned the right to oppose Spanish Town in the final after getting the better of Windsor School in a straight penalty shoot-out tie-breaker.

Windsor School of Special Education gained plenty of admirers because they were the only team to field all players with intellectual disabilities.

“We’re proud about this programme that has been running from September last year. Inclusion is the way to go and the students really enjoyed it, having the chance to play together,” said Cecil Hamilton, one of the project leaders for the initiative in Jamaica.

“The Windsor School of Special Education players were really ecstatic because they were allowed to compete against students without intellectual disabilities. They performed beyond the expectations of some people, and some of the coaches from other teams were really surprised at the level of football skills they possess,” Hamilton told the Observer.

The next stop for the champion schools initiative in Jamaica is for institutions from Kingston, St Andrew and St Thomas, which is to kick-start the 2022-23 phase in October.

Elaine Walker-Brown, St Catherine Football Association president and the Institute of Sports senior sports officer for the parish, was impressed with the talent on show, but emphasised to students the importance of finding a balance between recreational activities and school work.

“I’m confident we are going to unearth some talent coming out of this programme. But remember, sports and the academics go together. So you have to study your books and play the sport well,” she told them.

Kimela Johnstone, principal of the Windsor School of Special Education, said the Unified Champion Schools initiative can play a key role in bringing down barriers that limit equal opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities.

“This is an opportunity for them to be with their peers, so they can form friendships and break down stereotypes. What Special Olympics unified sport has done is to include our children in society, and helping others to understand that these children are just like them,” she told the Observer.

In September, representatives from Special Olympics International are expected to visit Jamaica to help provide Unified Champion Schools support for programmes from Bermuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.

— Sanjay Myers