Document #1300538
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Please note that there is a clear
distinction between the Special Olympics and the Paralympics: the
Special Olympics "involves over 500,000 athletes from 8 to 80 with
mental retardation. ... [whereas the] Paralympics provides
world-level competition for elite athletes with any disability"
(Special Olympics International 1999; USOC 1998a).
The Special Olympics were not held in
Atlanta, Georgia in 1996 (Special Olympics 7 Jan. 1999; Special
Olympics International 1999), but the Paralympics were (ibid.; AP
15 Aug. 1996; USPS 1 May 1996; USOC 1998a).
The Special Olympics holds World Games
every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games
(Special Olympics International 1999). The ninth Special Olympics
World Summer Games took place in New Haven, Connecticut (USA) in
July 1995 and the most recent Special Olympics World Winter Games
took place in Toronto in February 1997. (ibid.). There are over
15,000 Special Olympics competitive events around the world
(ibid.).
The first Paralympic Games were held in
1960 and since then have been held every Olympic (summer and
winter) year, usually in the same city or country that hosts the
Olympic Games (Special Olympics International 1999; USPS 1 May
1996; USOC 1998a). Following the 1996 Summer Olympic Games,
Atlanta, Georgia, hosted the ten-day Paralympic Games that began on
15 August 1996 (ibid.; Special Olympics International 1999; AP 15
Aug. 1996; USPS 1 May 1996). Approximately 3,500 disabled athletes
from 120 nations competed (ibid.; Special Olympics International
1999; USPS 1 May 1996). Competitors in the Paralympics are "elite
athletes with physical or visual impairments, representing either
four or five international federations: (1) Cerebral Palsy
International Sports and Recreation Association, (2) International
Blind Sports Association, (3) International Stroke-Mandevill
Wheelchair Sports Federation, (4) International Sports Organization
for the Disabled (USPS 1 May 1996; USOC 1998b) and (5 )
International Association for Mentally Handicapped (ibid.).
No reports of Morocco's participation in
the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta could be found among the
sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is
not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any
particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the
list of additional sources consulted in researching this
Information Request.
References
The Associated Press (AP). 15 August
1996. "Paralympic Athletes Promise Their Own Show in the Olympic
City." [Internet] http://www.afnews.org/newsroom/ap
[Accessed 6 Jan. 1999]
Special Olympics, Inc, Washington, DC. 7
January 1999. Telephone interview with General Counsel.
Special Olympics International. 1999.
"What Are the Paralympics?" [Internet] http://www.canoe.com/Paralympics
[Accessed 7 Jan. 1999]
United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
1998a. "The Games: Paralympic Overview." [Internet] http://www.usoc.org/games [Accessed
26 Jan. 1999]
_____. 1998b. "The Games: Paralympic
Overview: Representation." [Internet]
United States Postal Service (USPS). 1
May 1996. "1996 Olympic Games Stamps, Paralypmics Envelope Rate
'Gold Medal' For U.S. Postal Service." [Internet] http://www.usps.gov/news/stamps/96/96030stp.htm
[Accessed 26 Jan. 1999]
Additional Sources Consulted
United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
1998. "The Games: Atlanta Recap: the Paralympics." [Internet]
Electronic sources: Internet, NEXIS.
Non-documentary sources:
Unsuccessful attempts to contact:
Moroccan Paralympic Committee
Association, Morocco.
International Paralympic Committee,
Brussels.