Athletes who won medals at the Special Olympics and others are organizing to "return" their medals and prizes in protest of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's sports policy. The reason they are protesting so strongly is because of an explosion of anger at what they say is the continued discrimination against handicapped athletes. They say that the ministry is not cooperating in making sure the handicapped athlete promotion fund that was formed with W25 billion in surplus funds that remained from the World Cup gets put under private control, that the "athletes village" is constructed, and that the office responsible for handicapped sports is transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Handicapped individuals have made great accomplishments in the Special Olympics and other areas without ever receiving ample government support. It is only natural and it is an earnest wish when having overcome their handicaps they seek equal treatment and support as non-handicapped athletes. Once the material and structural preparation is complete there should be no reason to delay accommodating their demands.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare explains that moving a department from one ministry to another ministry requires discussion with the other ministry and transferring control of the promotion fund also requires legislative basis for doing so, and so the process cannot be done overnight and requires time and certain procedures. It says that since the discussion and the legislation revision is steadily underway their concerns and distrust is "excessive." Still, handicapped athletes are unable to rid themselves of doubt as they see the management of the promotion fund and "athletes village" stray from their initial missions, and they ask whether this is going to be a replay of the old fight among government ministries over who gets a bigger rice bowl.
The government needs to humbly accept that it is not just handicapped athletes, it is all handicapped individuals who look at its policies with accumulated distrust for seeing them as nothing more than objects of "benevolence and sympathy." It needs to see that national policy is needed to help the handicapped overcome discrimination, and that there needs to be cooperation between the private and public sectors in the course of implementing that policy.
The Hankyoreh, 9 May 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Doubt About Handicapped Sports Policy |
