HAVING lost out in the struggle for top position at the maiden Special Olympics Unity Cup held in South Africa, Special Olympics Nigeria (SONigeria) will now take consolation in its team's silver medal won in the consolation match.The team was yesterday hosted to a reception in Lagos by SONigeria board members, led by its chairman, Victor Osibodu. The team could not qualify from its group after losing to Tanzania and Kenya, and beating Mauritius and Namibia, but got the silver by beating Uganda 2-1 in the final of the consolation matches.For Osibodu, the joy of participation, which is one of the objectives of Special Olympics, bears the memories the athletes would forever cherish. He said: 'I think we should celebrate the athletes for their courage and determination for picking the silver, this alone would be with them for a very long time.'We are proud of them and we believe that taking part in the competition has boosted their morale to aim high despite their intellectual disabilities.'Also, the national director, Folashade Bolumole, said the goal of the Unity Cup is to support the movement for inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities, and it is an extension of the Special Olympics Unified Sports programme.'It was a great opportunity for the athletes, and an eye opener as well, because it was an experience they would always love to have,' he said.'They played six matches, lost three and won three. This goes to show that they are a team for the future.'Apart from taking part in the tournament, it was a good exposure for the athletes. I want to thank the board members and our partners for making this trip possible for the team and we will continue to seek their support for all our programmes.'At the end of the four-day championship, Tanzania joined host - South Africa - and Cote d'Ivoire in qualifying for the 2013 Special Olympics Unity Cup holding in Brazil. The tourney in Phokeng, South Africa, featured 22 national teams from 14 African countries.The teams that participated in the regional seven-a-side football tourney included South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia.The Special Olympics Africa Unity Cup is a seven-a-side football tourney featuring four footballers with intellectual disabilities and three able footballers in a team.
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