David Burt, the Premier, has paid homage to the Special Olympics team for their heroic display in Berlin last month.

Speaking in front of Cabinet to celebrate their achievements, Burt praised the team for collecting a total of 11 medals after the athletes and team management had been driven in convoy and before a special luncheon was held for them at the National Sports Centre.

“As we celebrate our Special Olympians today, we thank them for giving us another reason to be proud to be Bermudian,’’ Burt said.

“We are here to celebrate the accomplishments of our athletes who have returned triumphant from the Special Olympic Games held last month in Berlin.

“The Special Olympic Games are not only a test of your athletic prowess but also a celebration of diversity and inclusion. They remind us that every individual has unique accomplishments to make and that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to shine.

“In Bermuda, we firmly believe in fostering an inclusive society where every citizen can thrive regardless of their abilities. In Berlin, our Special Olympians proved that their abilities transcend any limitations, they've shown us the true meaning of courage, determination and the power of a positive spirit.

“They've exemplified the values of sportsmanship, camaraderie and have been, and will continue to be, remarkable ambassadors for our island of Bermuda.

“Their achievements have not only brought honour to Bermuda but have inspired people throughout the island. What's interesting is that I even received e-mails from persons who had the pleasure of meeting these extraordinary young men and women on their travels and felt compelled to send an e-mail to tell me how proud Bermuda should be of them and how well they've represented their island. I cannot agree with them more.

“To all of our multiple athletes, you have made us proud. Whether or not you won a medal, you have inspired us to aim higher, you've shown us that there is no limitations on what can be achieved, with skill, courage and support.”

Owen Darrell, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, said honouring the island’s sportsmen and women for achievements at international events is a key government policy.

“This is exactly what we do in Bermuda to celebrate our athletes,’’ Darrell said.

“The public would be aware that we did the exact same celebrations for our gold medallist at the Olympics, Flora Duffy. We've done the same thing for our Commonwealth Games medallists and we’ll be doing the same thing in a few weeks for the CAC Games and we will also be recognising the Island Games.”

Karen Woollery, the national director of Bermuda Special Olympics, expressed her appreciation for the assistance from Government and proudly declared that this team had done better than any Olympic group.

“Its very encouraging to have the Government’s support,’’ Woollery said.

“They supported us before the Games, during the Games and now again they've supported us after the Games. It means a lot for the athletes and it just encourages us to go further. There is no limit to what our athletes can and cannot do and I think we represented Bermuda to the best of our ability.

“I believe I can even go on record and say the Special Olympics has brought more medals than any other Olympic organisation in Bermuda.”

One low point of the Special Olympics came when sprinter Kemari Dill was denied a gold despite winning the 100 metres final after his improvement was deemed too great by competition rules, with Woollery keen to learn lessons from the situation.

“They have a rule called the 15 per cent rule, if you're in a category and if you go faster than 15 per cent of that category, then they automatically disqualify you.

“It’s very disheartening and very unfortunate. We were very disappointed with the ruling but it didn't just affect Bermuda. It affected a lot of the Caribbean islands and we made protests, we made appeals and we can only hope that going forward this will not be a problem for us.

“It will definitely change our strategy but they've put in different rules and stipulations that they didn't have in previous Games, so a lot of the rules that were put in were pretty new to us.”

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