SPECIAL OLYMPICS

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:32): I was pleased to represent the minister, the Hon. Ian Hunter, at the Special Olympics South Australia's annual sports lunch held on Friday 19 October at the Adelaide Pavilion function room. The special guest for the lunch was swimming identity Laurie Lawrence. It is important that we celebrate the role that Special Olympics SA undertakes in our community.

The organisation is the peak body for those athletes living with an intellectual disability in South Australia. It is not to be confused with the Paralympics, which is an organisation primarily for elite athletes with a physical disability. The Special Olympics movement is instead focused on encouraging participation in sport by those living with an intellectual disability across all ages and skill levels. In South Australia, the patron for SOSA is His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AO, Governor of South Australia.

Special Olympics was founded in the United States in 1967 by Eunice Shriver, the sister of the late US President John F. Kennedy. Since those early days, it has expanded into a truly international movement, with over 3.5 million athletes across 170 countries competing in 32 different sports. In South Australia, athletes have the opportunity to participate in 14 sports, some of which include basketball, swimming, soccer, tenpin bowling, tennis, athletics, cricket and golf. Training usually takes place once a week for the hundreds of local, state, national and international events that take place each year.

I am pleased that the South Australian government is a strong supporter of the work of the SA Special Olympics organisation. It provides a number of grants to assist the organisation with its administrative costs, as well as grants to assist athletes with the costs of attending national and international events.

During the lunch I had the pleasure of speaking with Special Olympics basketballer, Lachlan Woollett, who gave a truly inspiring speech showing what can be achieved through much hard work and determination. Lachlan has represented both South Australia and Australia in basketball at a number of national and international events. These include the 2005 New Zealand Invitational National Games, the 2006 Special Olympics National Games on the Gold Coast, the 2007 World Games in Shanghai, as well as the 2010 National Games here in Adelaide.

He has not limited his achievements to the sporting arena, working just as hard off the court as on it. Lachlan is a member of the Athletes Leadership Program, which is designed to assist Special Olympics athletes build confidence by encouraging them to undertake public speaking engagements and to assist at events. Lachlan, along with Roger Rasheed, were MCs for the lunch. He has also taken part in numerous mentoring and coaching courses and is the athlete representative on the Special Olympics Adelaide Regional Board.

As I have previously mentioned, the keynote speaker for the lunch was swimming identity, Lawrie Lawrence, who as many here would know was one of Australia's leading swimming coaches. During his long career, Lawrie assisted the likes of Duncan Armstrong and Tracey Wickham to Olympic success. He certainly was an inspirational speaker on the day. He paid tribute to Lachlan Woollett as well as putting into perspective the incredible mental discipline it takes for our Olympians to continue when they are beaten by an eighth of a second.

I conclude my remarks by thanking all those who have supported this wonderful organisation throughout the years, whether they be sponsors or volunteers. Without their support, the work that the Special Olympics undertakes in providing those who are living with an intellectual disability the means to participate in sport and the community more generally just would not be possible. I believe that it is vitally important that organisations like the Special Olympics continue to be supported, as they truly empower those living with disabilities to reach their full potential.