b'"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." Special Olympics OathTHE CHALLENGE Special Olympics has gone from strength to strength in Ireland since 2003. 200 new community-based clubs suchas the Blue Dolphins have been formed. 6 new sports havebeen added to expand choices for athletes (15 are now offered) and over 25,000 registered volunteers give of theirtime. But the recession has brought challenges as well. Government funding of our programmes has been cut by59% since 2008, says Matt. Weve come a long way in ashort time and we cannot let a recession stop us from fulfilling our vision to make sure that every person in Ire-land with an intellectual disability has a chance to succeedin their own community. The Sustaining Support of The Ireland FundsTheIrelandFundshavebeenlongtimepartnerswith Special Olympics Ireland and that support has been felt notonly during high profile events like the 2003 World Games,but during the quieter times in between. The media aremost interested in the big Games every few years, but itsthe day in and day out training of these athletes that is thereal story. says Matt. The Ireland Funds didnt just giveus that one big injection of sponsorship support back in2003. They came back to us with funding again and again toshow us they recognised the importance of keeping theprogram going. We are eternally grateful.connect2014 | 39'