The Children’s Special Olympics in Thailand

Meeting George and His Family

George and I emailed a few times and he invited me to his house in Korat, where he gives free English lessons to the local children on Saturdays. When I arrived, I met his wife and children, who all help with the English lessons. They are very warm people and opened their home to me as soon as I arrived. George showed me around and encouraged me to take photographs and make myself comfortable. One by one, cars pulled up to the house dropping off their kids for the lessons until the yard was filled with children running around.

It was very obvious that George and his family were well-liked and a staple in the community. I could tell just by the way the children and parents hugged and greeted them. George and each of his children would have a different child or group of children in a separate area teaching them how to read and write in English. It was only for a couple of hours in the morning and when they finished, they would just hang out and play and eat ice cream. When I was preparing to leave, George told me about the upcoming Children’s Special Olympics and invited me to photograph it. I jumped at the opportunity which was about a month away.

Arriving at the Children’s Special Olympics Events

The events were at the Kings’ 80th Birthday Stadium in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) in Central Thailand, about an hour or so from where I lived. Local restaurants and other businesses donated food and supplies needed for the event. It started with a ceremony honoring the local sponsors, businessmen, and government officials, followed by photos with the children.

We then moved outside to the Children’s Special Olympics track and field area. They included mostly track and field games but there was also lawn bowling and soccer. The children seemed mostly excited just to get the chance to run around. The parents also helped with organizing and participating in the events. There wasn’t much media there. I was the only photographer most of the time but a small news crew did show up later on. There was a ceremony towards the end where they handed out ribbons and trophies and took photos. The children were excited to be honored and all the parents were just as happy to be a part of it.

Dinner and Dancing

The organizers served dinner, snacks, and desserts in the outdoor cafeteria area when the events were over. I’m not sure what the name of the food was but everyone enjoyed it. Music and dancing followed after dinner. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many children having such a good time. They passed the microphone around and took turns singing. One kid kept looking at me and doing what I think was an Elvis Presley type impersonation. He was really into it so I made sure to give him his moment.

I really enjoyed photographing the Children’s Special Olympics. Everyone treated me very kindly and accepted me without any issues. Some of the children spoke English and would talk to me and ask about my camera and photography. I used it as a good time to practice my Thai and meet new people in the area. I still keep in touch with many of them to this day.

Below are other pictures from the event.

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