People cheer as a track-and-field athlete crosses the finish line during the Kadena Special Olympics at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Dec. 9, 2023. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — The Kadena Special Olympics returned to the home of the 18th Wing over the weekend after a six-year hiatus caused by a rise in costs and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately 70 athletes from Okinawa city, Chatan and Kadena town came to the Risner Fitness and Sports Complex on Saturday to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in a slate of contests that included the 30-meter dash, basketball and soccer.
Participant numbers were down drastically from more than 800 in 2017.
The event was put on hold so organizers could find a more sustainable model, which included limiting competitor numbers and finding cheaper alternatives to things like food offerings, Col. Nicholas Evans, 18th Wing commander, said during a press conference at the event.
The event was further derailed in 2020 by the pandemic.
“We went with more of an organic ability to support this versus spending more money at the wing,” he said.
The wing leveraged partnerships with local vendors and military service organizations that stepped up to offer support.
“We absolutely intend for this to be a yearly thing moving forward,” Evans said.
A member of the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band high-fives an athlete during the Kadena Special Olympics' opening ceremony at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Dec. 9, 2023. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The wing did not answer questions emailed last month about the event’s cost and its funding sources.
The games started in 1999 with about 100 athletes at a local park, co-founder and retired Army public affairs officer Chip Steitz said Friday during a phone interview from his Florida home. It grew in size and scope year after year and became a unifying force on an island known for its anti-base protests, he said.
The athletes, who train year-round with Special Olympics Nippon - Okinawa Chapter, have gone on to participate in global competitions, Steitz said. The 2017 event featured 832 athletes and 2,000 U.S. volunteers.
Under the new format, the wing can support up to 110 athletes, Evans said. They hope to invite 30 to 40 more participants next year.
“I’m just so happy it’s going to continue,” Steitz said. “It shows the community that we care and that we really want to do something special for special needs individuals.”
Saturday’s games kicked off with participants parading into athletes’ village surrounded by 450 volunteers and spectators. They were cheered on by costumed characters, including Pikachu and a “Star Wars” jedi.
After a torch was lit, Raymond Greene, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, spoke about how the Special Olympics ushered in a change in attitudes regarding people with disabilities. It was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister to President John F. Kennedy.
A player participates in the basketball skills competition during the Kadena Special Olympics at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Dec. 9, 2023. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The commander of U.S. Forces Japan, Air Force Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, then led the participants in reciting the athlete’s oath: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
The athletes danced with members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band during a stirring rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” before heading to their first events.
Five of the athletes competing this year came from Department of Defense Education Activity schools on the island, Maj. Rahn Lassiter, project officer for the Kadena games, said in an emailed statement Thursday.
Evans took in the basketball skills competition with 18th Wing Chief Master Sgt. Brandon Wolfgang. The pair high-fived players who sported wide smiles to go along with their glimmering medals.
Wolfgang said he has a special connection to the event, having been involved in the planning of a previous iteration a decade ago.
“The athletes take a lot of pride and excitement and joy in just coming out here and competing and interacting with our volunteers,” Wolfgang said. The volunteers benefit equally, he added.
Athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities arrive for to compete in the Kadena Special Olympics at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Dec. 9, 2023. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
