ABU DHABI, UAE – At ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre), the main hub of activity at the Special Olympics World Games, there is booth after booth of exhibitors in support of the athletes.

One of the areas is dedicated to a program called Healthy Athletes, where trained professionals are available to assess and counsel athletes. When it comes to health care, People of Determination (individuals with cognitive disabilities) are believed to be a greatly underserved segment of the population.

There are booths devoted to healthy smiles, healthy hearing, healthy vision and so on. At every stop along the way, athletes are invited to check in so they can be seen by professionals. At the Healthy Smiles area, for example, athletes who need to protect their teeth and dental work during competition are given mouth guards.

I came upon a booth focused on athletic footwear that had a long lineup of athletes. That’s because Oregon foot manufacturer Pierce Footwear was giving away free running shoes to athletes. The catch was that athletes had to collect four stickers from four of the other health activation booths in order to qualify.

But because these running shoes have no laces and fasten with a patented ‘speed latch,’ standing in a long line was worth the wait. The inspiration for the shoes came during the 2015 Special Olympics World Games where longtime Special Olympics athlete Kester Edwards witnessed athletes sharing shoes. As one athlete would come off the basketball court, they would take off their shoes and hand them to the next player.

And that’s when Pierce Footwear picked up the mantle.

“We are a mission-driven company and wanted to give shoes to people who really needed them,” said George Pierce, the company’s CEO and co-founder.

Pierce footwear brought 7,500 pairs of speed latch running shoes to Abu Dhabi to give away to athletes. If there are any shoes left over, they will be first offered to coaches and then to local schools.

Having the right equipment is a must for athletes who want to compete at the top of their game.

“Many people may assume that being from Canada that every athlete has the access to proper footwear and other assistive devices but that is not necessarily the case,” said Mike Greek, Special Olympics Team Canada chef de Mission and SO CEO of Nova Scotia. “So when they are able to benefit from a program like Healthy Athletes it is a huge benefit for them and helps them not only feel better and be properly equipped but [also] perform better on the field and off.”

Team Canada athlete Vidal Scarlette arrived in Abu Dhabi with broken hearing aids and did not have the financial means to get them repaired. Although he had taught his coach, Camille Gardiner, how to use some simple [American Sign Language] signs such as ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ ‘team,’ ‘you’re welcome’ and ‘run fast,’ there was no doubt that being able to hear what was going on would be to Scarlette’s advantage.

So at the Healthy Hearing booth, Scarlette was assessed and fitted with brand new free hearing aids on the spot.

“I feel a lot better. Makes me a lot happy. It makes me feel comfortable to be able to hear people talking,” he said.

The Special Olympics World Games take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from March 14 – 21, 2019. For complete details, visit www.abudhabi2019.org ,  www.tsn.ca and www.specialolympics.ca/games-events/go-canada-go