MATP provides exciting sports pathway in the Midlands
On Tuesday 15 December, Special Olympics Great Britain MATP (Motor Activities Training Programme) challenge event took place in Sandwell, West Midlands. The event provides an exciting sporting pathway for people with profound learning disabilities.
Access to proper sports training and competition across the country for people with learning disability is often a fraction of that available for non-disabled people. For people with a profound learning disability, those opportunities can be even less.
With that in mind, it was little surprise to see such an outstanding turn out of around 200 people on Tuesday. A combination of athletes with profound learning disabilities, coaches, volunteers and parents. All came out for Special Olympics GB’s Motor Activities Training Programme Challenge event in Sandwell.
The Motor Activities Training Programme (MATP) is designed to prepare athletes who have a profound intellectual disability and physical impairments, for sport-specific activities appropriate to their ability level.
On the day Special Olympics GB spoke to Hanif, one of the MATP athletes together with Ron, his support worker, to find out what is so important about an event like this.
Ron said:
“It is all about freedom, it’s about friendship and it’s about him feeling comfortable in his environment. Also, Hanif loves the attention and an event like this gives that to him in abundance.”
Dr Niamh-Elizabeth Reilly, Programme Manager for MATP, said:
“It was fantastic to see the incredible development of MATP happening in the Sandwell and the West Midlands. The West Midlands is one of our National development hubs for MATP. We look forward to developing the skills of our current MATP athletes in Sandwell ahead of the SOGB National Summer Games in Sheffield 2017, where they will represent their region as West Midlands athletes."
Reilly continues:
"Additionally, we hope to build on the tremendous success of today and enable all of those individuals with PMLD (Profound & Multiple Learning Disabilities) and complex needs that came as spectators and took part in our 'come and try' event to become MATP athletes, so that they too can benefit from this incredible programme.”
Gaye Barber, Special Olympics GB’s Director of Volunteering & Community Engagement, commented:
“The day provided a great insight to MATP and as such offer a higher level of understanding of the benefits to the athletes and the amount of dedication they put into their training to achieve their own personal best. It was supported by some exceptional coaches.
“We expected a bumper attendance and we got one! The event had a festive theme but the Challenge Day was run to the strict guidelines laid out for athletes who have been in training to demonstrate and show case their skills.
“Then there was the opportunity for all local community, healthcare and day opportunities groups to come along and try out some of the many different activities offered within MATP."
Barber added:
“It was also fantastic to have our sponsors National Grid come along to present some new equipment to the MATP movement, hand out medals and deliver an invaluable cheque. Thank you, National Grid.”
