Young poets salute Special Olympians

SCHOOLCHILDREN from a Dublin town gave a special welcome to athletes from Pakistan by launching a book of poems they wrote to celebrate the visit of the team.

The 80-strong delegation arrived in Balbriggan on Sunday and Monday, but local children had been preparing for their arrival for months.

Their anthology, Not So Different, gave a real taste of the spirit of the Special Olympics and what it means to young people. The 216 poems were written by pupils from eight local primary and second-level schools.

“Nobody can speak it like children, they say it like it is and their use of language is novel,” said Aidan Herron, St Teresa’s primary school principal.

Classes from the schools have been having fun days with children from special education units and others with disabilities over recent months, which helped them appreciate those who are different from them.

But their poetry expresses more about the likenesses between both groups, and yesterday’s party for the Pakistani delegation was the perfect time to launch the book.

Sean Rowley, president of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, praised the work of the children and their teachers.

“The title and the theme are perfect for the games, and the children have covered every angle in their writings. The Government should replicate what people have been doing around the country for the Special Olympics by providing proper resources for children with special needs in Ireland,” he said.

The reception the visitors received was overwhelming over the last two days, according to Pakistan’s table tennis coach Arshad Javaid.

“When we arrived at the airport, we were welcomed by lots of volunteers. And the children with their book of poems, it is really wonderful,” he said.

He was helping yesterday with preparations by the four-strong table tennis squad, part of a 50-member team from Pakistan competing in eight sports at the games.