The Father Ray School for Children with Special Needs is located on the same site as the Redemptorist Technological College for People with Disabilities, and both recently decided to hold their annual sports day on the same day.
Both the school and the college had elaborate parades, with students carrying portraits of His Majesty the King, and younger students carrying the trophies.
It could have ended in disaster within the first five minutes as the special needs athletes paraded a bit too close to where a wheelchair race was taking place.
Catastrophe was averted and it was a wonderful day, and the noise was deafening, but the events showed some students had considerable sporting talent.
The flame to open the games at the special needs school was carried by a young man who not only attends the school but has lived at the Father Ray Children’s Home for eleven years and is a member of the Thailand Special Olympics futsal team.
As usual there were many races, but the college students compete according to their disability. A student with one leg cannot compete against someone who is missing an upper limb, who in turn cannot compete against a wheelchair racer, so they all have their own race.
They also compete in field events, which is twice as hard for anyone with a disability. There is no run up to throw the javelin if you are in a wheelchair, no chance to spin to throw a shot or a discus if you only have one leg.
The blue team were winners at the college, and the yellow team came last but they looked happier, and at the special needs school there was a winning team but everyone was making so much noise cheering that they were all declared winners.
More information can be found at www.fr-ray.org or email [email protected]
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