The competition and the results of the weekend from June 26 to 29 are already important to the sports director of Special Olympics Monaco. But anyone who observes Eric Waterson as he walks around the equestrian facility at the Second European Equestrian Grand Prix of Monaco knows that his real goal is different: He wants all athletes to have a smile on their faces, “avoir la banane” as he says – a banana on their lips. Every few steps, he exchanges a few words with a rider here, pats a rider there approvingly on the shoulder.
One of the six teams from Europe competing here at the Domaine de Massac horse farm in the French Maritime Alps near Nice is the Swiss team. Four weeks after the National Summer Games in Zug, Corinne Amport, Andreas Bucher, Andreas Imhof, Lea Perren, and Carlotta Schmitz are already back in their tournament outfits, in the saddle, riding for Special Olympics Switzerland. Their coaches Gisela Imark and Kathrin Lex are proud of how the five present themselves in trail and dressage and defy the heat: 4 gold medals, 2 silver, 3 bronze, and 1 fourth place are credited to them.
Above all, the coaches are enthusiastic about their team’s spirit. “How they all support each other and celebrate for one another – that’s Special Olympics, and that’s the kind of growth that goes far beyond sports,” says Gisela Imark. Kathrin Lex would even prefer to stay here and continue training with the team and the local horses: “You don’t need more than that to be content.”
The European Grand Prix of Monaco in numbers:
- Participating countries: France, Monaco, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Slovakia, Poland, Switzerland
- 29 athletes
Report by: Gisela Imark
