Athlete Leadership: A Defining Value

Today, the Special Olympics International Board of Directors met at P&G headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Chairman Tim Shriver opened the meeting with a review of Special Olympics’ movement values: Sportsmanship with Joy, Bravery, Athlete Leadership, Unity and Perseverance. After sharing inspiring stories he asked each board member write a few thoughts about the value that means the most to them.

Special Olympics Florida athlete and International Board Director Eddie Barbanell shared the following:

“The value of athlete leadership means a lot to me because it creates unity and bring more people with intellectual disabilities together to play unified and live unified. It brings more qualified coaches and volunteers to train; it allows athletes and their non-disabled peers to play together on and off the playing field to promote acceptance and inclusion around the world. Everyone should be accepted for who they are, not what they are.”

Each of Special Olympics’ core values describes an aspect of our identity as a global movement of nearly 4 million athletes, and hundreds of thousands more volunteers, coaches, families, and fans. So whatever role you play in the movement, tell us, what Special Olympics value means the most to you?