Peace Corps volunteer Jennifer Seller trained three Mongolian athletes for the inaugural Special Olympics in Mongolia held on October 17-22, 2014. One of the athletes, Ms. Davaajargal, successfully participated in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games from July 25 to August 2, 2015 and won a silver medal in the track and field category.
At the 2015 games, the Mongolian team of 14 athletes, including Ms. Davaajargal, competed in three categories: table tennis, track and field, and judo. Mongolian athletes are returning home with 4 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze medals.
The 2015 games featured competitions in summer sports involving 6,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities from around the world. On this world stage, athletes demonstrated their courage, determination and sportsmanship on the playing field.
Soon after the first Special Olympics in Mongolia, Ms. Seller initiated and organized the Arkhangai Special Olympics in December. Ms. Seller remarked, “Special Olympics has truly had a positive impact on how disabilities are viewed in the community.”
Ms. Davaajargal was selected to be one of seven athletes in a feature aired by ESPN. In April 2015, the ESPN film crew filmed their documentary on-site in Arkhangai. To watch the video, click here. For more information on Mongolian Special Olympics, visit fb.com/SpecialOlympicsMongolia.
