[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1700
 
INTRODUCING THE 1995 SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD SUMMER GAMES COMMEMORATIVE 
                                COIN ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, while many Americans watch with pride as 
our talented athletes compete in the World Olympic Games in 
Lillehammer, there are a great number of athletes here and around the 
world that are still in training. For all athletes, the rigors of 
training are universal: hard work, long hours, and true dedication. So 
are the payoffs: self-confidence, pride in achievement, and friendships 
that last a lifetime. Around the world and across our Nation each year, 
athletes with mental retardation train for Special Olympic 
competitions. Each holds the ultimate hope of qualifying for the World 
Games.
  In July 1995, New Haven, West Haven, and Hamden, CT will host the 
1995 Special Olympics World Summer Games. We are honored and excited to 
have 6,500 athletes travel to Connecticut from over 120 countries to 
participate in the ninth Special Olympics World Summer Games. It is for 
these athletes that I rise today to introduce the 1995 Special World 
Summer Games Commemorative Coin Act.
  The bill authorizes the issuance of 800,000 limited-edition one 
dollar silver coins, which will be emblematic of the 1995 Special 
Olympic World Games. Funds raised through the sale of the coins will be 
used to provide a world-class sporting event for athletes with mental 
retardation; to demonstrate to a global audience the extraordinary 
talents, dedication and courage of persons with mental retardation; and 
to underwrite part of the cost of staging the 1995 Special Olympics 
World Games.
  Thousands of athletes from every State in the Union, and from almost 
every nation in the world, will come to Connecticut to demonstrate that 
they have the desire, courage, and the skills to compete in world class 
competition. The half-million spectators who come to watch will enjoy 
one of the most exciting and inspiring experiences of a lifetime. They 
will see outstanding athletic competition in the true Olympic spirit.
  The 1995 Special Olympics World Games--the largest sporting event in 
the world in that year--will be held in first-class athletic avenues in 
the Greater New Haven area. Five prominent academic institutions--
Albertus Magnus College, the University of New Haven, Quinnipiac 
College, Southern Connecticut State University, and Yale University--
will host the event.
  There will be extraordinary events displaying the splendor of world 
class sports with the raw power of courageous competitors overcoming 
stigma to achieve their personal best. Tens of millions of people will 
view the worldwide television coverage of this event. The Opening 
Ceremonies alone will have an audience of 90,000 persons. We are 
estimating that several Heads of State and First Ladies, as well as 20-
30 Ambassadors will be present as President Clinton officially opens 
the Games.
  Mr. Speaker, just last week we were notified that the President 
himself has agreed to serve as the honorary chairman of the 1995 
Special Olympics World Games. This is a rare honor for any organization 
and unprecedented in the 25-year history of the Special Olympics. 
Moreover, the President has included the 1995 Special Olympics World 
Games as a member of a Task Force, chaired by Vice President Gore, to 
oversee Federal assistance to the 1994 World Cup activities in the 
United States and to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In so doing, 
the President has recognized that the athletic accomplishments of 
Special Olympics athletes are as hard won and as courageous as those of 
non-disabled athletes. I am personally very grateful to President 
Clinton for his support, his vision, and his commitment to persons with 
mental retardation worldwide.
  Mr. Speaker, an event of this magnitude requires substantial 
organization and planning. Like World Cup USA 1994 and the Atlanta 
Committee for the Olympics Games, the 1995 Special Olympics World Games 
Organizing Committee is looking to the collective wisdom and experience 
of the Federal Government as an invaluable resource. One such resource 
is the issuance of a commemorative coin honoring the Games. The cost-
neutral bill which I am introducing today will raise up to $8 million 
to help underwrite the cost of staging the 1995 Special Olympics World 
Games.
  I remind my colleagues that Special Olympics is a charity--a 
501(c)(3) organization. There are no agents, no endorsements, no multi-
million dollar contracts waiting at the end of the finish line for 
these athletes. Instead, there are thousands of athletes who train week 
after week for years to experience the sheer join of competing and for 
the love of the sport. They deserve the opportunity to compete in New 
Haven. The funds raised by the issuance of this coin will help make 
their dreams a reality.
  Please join me and over 60 other original cosponsors in supporting 
the 1995 Special Olympics World Games Commemorative Coin Act and honor 
Special Olympics athletes worldwide.

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