The Special
Olympics World Summer Games offered open water swimming for the first time in its history. The inherent danger, the potential risks and the numerous issues involved in putting individuals with intellectual disabilities in the sea were overcome by a team of committed volunteers in Athens, Greece, led by Chrysostomos Giannoulakis and Katerina Kaloudi, Kester Edwards and Jon-Paul St. Germain.
The 1.5K world championship event in the Bay of Marathon in the Aegean Sea was won by Andrew Smilley of the Cayman Islands and Cornelia Fowler of South Africa where 35 athletes from 19 countries safely competed.
The 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in the Bay of Marathon in Greece served as a catalyst to expand the sport among the Special Olympics international family and is nominated for the 2011 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.
Learn more and vote HERE for the 2011 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year, the 2011 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year and the 2011 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.
Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Swimming