Hockey is on the program for the first time at the Special Olympics World Games – as a demonstration sport. That means: In these days it will be decided whether the fast-paced team competition will remain part of the World Games in the long term. The commitment and enthusiasm of the participants are contagious.
“I’m for the team with the girl”, a student shouts to her friend on the stands of the hockey stadium in the Olympic Park. It’s raining in Berlin – in torrents. The 750 fans are looking for shelter. Tents have been erected around the pitches – from now on they will be cheered on from there.
Special Olympics: national hockey coach Norma Rettich and her son – national player Kevin Waskowsky.
“Could you have done a little better”
So while the mood is being set from the dry, the hockey players keep sprinting incessantly across the field. It plays the German against the Belgian selection. At the Special Olympics World Games, mixed teams compete against each other, consisting of men and women. Kevin Waskowsky comes to the ball for Germany with the number seven. He takes the ball in midfield and passes it on to his teammate. It’s a good attack, but it doesn’t ultimately lead to a goal.
“Go on, go on”, it then echoes from the German coaching bench. The words come from the mouth of a woman who has pulled her baseball cap down over her face. She’s soaking wet now too. Norma Rettich is the coach of the German national hockey team at the Special Olympics World Games – and she is Kevin Waskowsky’s mother. “I’m much more critical of Kevin than the others”says Norma Radish and laughs. “Sometimes he gets hit at home. Then I say: ‘You could have done a little better.'”
How does the selection process work?
Kevin Waskowsky stands next to his mother and listens spellbound. Then the 27-year-old smiles briefly and answers: “It’s really nice to be coached by your own mother. But I also have to get used to the other coaches if my mother isn’t there.” The Special Olympics World Games are not only something very special for Kevin Waskowsky and Norma Rettich from Potsdam, but for the entire sport of hockey – which plays a prominent role at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.
Because: Hockey is a so-called demonstration sport this year. The fast-paced team competition is part of the World Games program for the first time. And now those involved hope that this will remain so in the long term. Insight, foresight and overview: That’s what the selection process was all about. This decides which sport is suitable for demonstration status. The process began well before the 2023 games in Berlin – with an official call for tenders. The goal: to expand the range of sports for people with mental disabilities.
DHB application stands out
“You have to say that the German Hockey Association (DHB) stood out from the applications,” reports Tom Hauthal, head of the German delegation and, as the host, responsible for organizing the program. “In the past few years, the DHB has been on the way to integrating people with mental disabilities into its own association. That was one of the main criteria in our decision.”
Break in the game against Belgium: Norma Hettich gives the German players tactical instructions.
In addition, the associations of the different sports were asked: How well established are the structures of the sport already? Is the target group present? Is there maybe even a league system? A big plus in hockey: The inclusion of people with mental disabilities is not only high on the agenda at the DHB – there has also been positive development in this area internationally for years. Ultimately, three sports made it into the final selection: hockey, rowing and cheer – a dance sport.
Adjusted rules: fewer players, smaller field
Hockey in the Special Olympics is played six-on-six instead of eleven-on-eleven. The size of the field is halved. “It’s easier for our specials to capture a small space”Norma arranges radish. “Just holding a hockey stick in your hand and holding on to it is a big advantage. You then try to hit the ball: You can train these movements quite well. There is a lot of imitation in hockey, the basics are mostly those same.” During training, colors and repetitive visualization are often used.
Despite great commitment, the German hockey team had to admit defeat to the Belgian team with 1:3.
The teams cheer each other on
Back on the field: Germany – with Kevin Waskowsky in the middle of the action and Norma Rettich on the dugout – are 1:3 behind. The Belgians are more ripped off in front of goal and use their chances more consistently than the hosts. Then it’s over. Germany loses. It keeps raining. Keep going. Despite the bad weather and the disappointment from a German point of view, the audience celebrates both teams. And the opponents also cheer each other on.
“Hockey is a family. Everyone is taken along, nobody is left behind or left behind”, raves Norma Radish. That is also a main reason why the sport should definitely remain part of the Special Olympics. The prospects for this are very good. “The Special Olympics are actually not a test balloon, but a starting shot,” says Tom Hauthal. “The hockey family is very active and we will see if there will also be international tournaments under the umbrella of the Special Olympics.” That would not only make the Rettich-Waskowsky family very happy.
The schedule of the Special Olympic World Games in Berlin at a glance.