SAINT-CLAUDE, Guadeloupe — The concept of inclusivity has been in full force as action got underway in the Special Olympics Caribbean 3×3 unified basketball tournament at the Daniel Cassin gymnasium on Friday.

Even with the inevitable communication challenges facing some of the region’s predominantly English-speaking delegations in French-speaking Guadeloupe, a group of university students has masterfully kept the lines open.

Each travelling delegation at the tournament has been assigned liaison personnel, who have efficiently broken down language barriers and fostered inclusion in its base sense.

The volunteerism partnership came out of an arrangement between Special Olympics Guadeloupe and the Université des Antilles.

Nathalie Bouchaut, associate professor of English and director of the applied foreign languages department at the university, was central to those discussions to bring her pupils on as volunteers.

“I know my students are very enthusiastic about meeting people from the Caribbean. We barely know each other in the Caribbean. They are so delighted about meeting people from Jamaica, from Antigua and other countries — it’s really, for them, a dream come true. One of them was telling me she has never spoken so much English before because of her interactions with the delegations,” Bouchaut told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

“Also, what also got us all interested is Special Olympics because we wanted to get involved in it and be a part of efforts for inclusion. We hope we’ll be able to extend this partnership — that through this event we’ll meet people and create bridges,” the associate professor said.

Former Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago athlete Kester Edwards, who is a sports and development manager at Special Olympics International, lauded the impact that volunteers have had on the movement.

“Volunteerism has been very important from the start of Special Olympics in 1968. Those were all volunteers back at the start of the Games at Soldier Field in Chicago. And you can see them here, supporting the movement and supporting inclusion,” he said.

“It’s great to see Special Olympics bringing the young people out, and spreading more awareness, which is really good for the Caribbean…great to see the volunteers in the Caribbean, great to see more young people coming out to volunteer than used to be the case in the past,” said Edwards, also a Special Olympics International board representative.

The Special Olympics Caribbean unified basketball tournament features delegations from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Maarten, and Trinidad & Tobago. The Guadeloupe programme has fielded two teams.

As a unified event the tournament promotes social inclusion by combining people with and without intellectual disabilities for sport competition, thereby helping to build awareness and to foster behavioural change.

The tournament has the backing of Special Olympics Caribbean and Special Olympics International as well as partners, including Lions Club International Foundation, Aruna Oswal Trust, and Guadeloupe’s Government.

—Sanjay Myers

Kester Edwards (left), a sports and development manager at Special Olympics International, and Special Olympics Caribbean volunteer Karen Darby share views during the 3×3 unified basketball competition at Daniel Cassin gymnasium in Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe, on Friday. Photos: Sanjay Myers