Question

The Oath: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt" is related to which of the following games?

• A. Special Olympics
• B. Paralympics
• C. Deaflympics
• D. Summer Olympics

Hint:

Don't confuse Special Olympics (Intellectual disability) with Paralympics (Physical disability). Their oaths and symbols are distinct.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The question pertains to the specific oath associated with a sporting event. The oath in question is: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." To determine the correct answer, let's delve into the context of the options provided:

1. Special Olympics: The Special Olympics is an international sporting competition specifically for athletes with intellectual disabilities. The oath "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt" is the official athlete's oath for the Special Olympics. This promotes courage and perseverance, emphasizing effort and bravery over winning.
2. Paralympics: The Paralympics is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power and vision impairment, among others. However, the athlete's oath for the Paralympics does not include the phrase given in the question.
3. Deaflympics: The Deaflympics is an international event for athletes who are deaf or hard of hearing. It focuses on nonverbal communication among athletes, but the phrase "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt" is not part of their oath.
4. Summer Olympics: The Summer Olympics is a leading international sporting event featuring summer sports competitions. The athlete's oath in the Olympics is quite different and does not contain the given phrase. It focuses on fair play and sportsmanship.

Based on the analysis, the correct answer to the question is Special Olympics. The oath emphasizes making the effort and showing bravery, aligning with the values promoted by the Special Olympics for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Answer 2

Another way to trace this oath to the right movement is to look at which population each of the four options actually serves, since the oath's message, that trying bravely matters as much as winning, was written for a very specific group of athletes.

1. Special Olympics: Serves athletes with intellectual disabilities, a group for whom the founding message was specifically about building confidence and celebrating effort and courage regardless of outcome, which is precisely the sentiment captured in this oath.
2. Paralympics: Serves athletes with physical and sensory impairments competing at an elite level alongside the Olympics, an environment where the athlete's oath centers on fair competition rather than the encouragement-focused language used here.
3. Deaflympics: Serves deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes, an event with its own separate ceremonial tradition and oath that is not built around this particular message about bravery in defeat.
4. Summer Olympics: Serves elite able-bodied athletes from around the world, with an oath focused on integrity, fair play, and adherence to the rules of competition, a different purpose from encouraging effort over outcome.

Since the oath's message was written specifically to encourage the population served by the Special Olympics, celebrating courage and effort as much as victory, that is the movement it belongs to.

Therefore, the correct answer is Special Olympics.