Photo By 1st Sgt. Brent Williams | Nasir, a disabled athlete, returns a serve during the first tennis match of the Rashid...... read more read more
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By Staff Sgt. Brent Williams
1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers attended the Rashid Special Olympics, Aug. 22, 2008, to show their support for disabled athletes at the Al Thura Sports Handicapped Club, located in the Al Thura Disabled Veteran's Community of the Rashid District in southern Baghdad.
Soldiers of the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, applauded Rashid's disabled athletes during the annual youth sports event that showcased tennis matches, table tennis and fencing in the spirit of camaraderie and competition for trophies and medals.
"It's a great event," said Capt. Thao Reed, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. "It shows that we can unite Iraqis and endorse teamwork and build camaraderie."
The club is one of five youth sports centers for disabled athletes in Iraq, and the second such club in Baghdad, said Reed, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas.
The Al Thura Club was first established in 2004 within a community in southern Baghdad and was created for disabled veterans of the Iraq-Iran War more than two decades ago, she said.
The youth center and sports events, such as the games, are indicators that the mindset of Iraqi society is changing, said Reed.
"I think the Iraqi government are realizing that disabled citizens can be integrated into society and can play a productive role in society," Reed said.
Activities such as the Rashid Olympics are great rehabilitation programs, integrating Iraqis into sports to build confidence and physical recovery for disabled athletes and citizens, said Reed.
With the help of non-governmental organizations, Iraqi leaders are also working to identify and treat youth suffering from the trauma of war, opening clinics to address mental health issues, such as depression, said Reed.
"They are providing special education classes meant to help increase awareness and wellness to reach the population," she said. "The NGOs are doing their part to help educate Iraqi men and women, using programs such as the youth sport centers to help address those needs."
Mohammed al Kaabi, a disabled athlete, said that the youth center provides opportunities for the disabled community to come together and build camaraderie and is a good thing for the athletes and the community.
"This kind of sport is kind of like a psychological treatment for me as I am disabled. It's like a visit to the doctor – the same as a medical sitting," Kaabi said.
"It's a good thing for me and helps me get through," said Kaabi, who is one of six disabled athletes in Baghdad who compete as part of the Iraqi national select team for handicapped youth.
There are approximately 36 such players in all of Iraq, said Kaabi, who practices tennis 8 to 10 hours per day.
Sgt. Andrew Glover said the opportunity to attend events such as the Rashid Olympics shows an improvement in the security situation for Iraqis in Baghdad.
"It also shows great leaps and bound in the fact that they have become self-sufficient as a whole and want to better themselves and their community," said Glover, a squad leader from Somerville, S.C., assigned to personal security detachment for HHC, 1st STB, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.
As the Iraqi people worry less about security in their communities, the people are returning to a sense of normalcy in their lives, explained Reed.
"All of the hard work of the last five years is paying off in the form of something that is tangible and productive, and they can see it," she said.
The Rashid Special Olympics concluded with an award ceremony, presenting 13 medals for excellence and three trophies to the competitions' top athletes.
The event itself is a reward for the athletes and their teams, said Ahmed Falyih Ajaj, the Al Thura Youth Sports director, who added that the only purpose of the handicapped sports club is to support the disabled people in Rashid.
Ajaj said he invites all handicapped Iraqis to visit the Al Thura Sports Handicapped Club and is looking for sponsorship for his teams in the hopes to branch out to international competitions, playing teams from outside of Iraq.
"I really thank coalition forces for their involvement in this sport," he said. "They have made such a sharing effort in helping to address the psychological healing for the Iraqi people, not just the security situation."
The Rashid Olympics will conclude with the final championship games tentatively scheduled for Sep. 2, 2008.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2008 08:56 |
| Story ID: | 22790 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 248 |
| Downloads: | 197 |
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