BY AGNES MENANOPO
ALTHOUGH born with a disability, Noella Olo personal interest in outdoor and leisure sports activities developed at the early age of 12.
Without the financial support from her parents to attain formal education, Olo described his upbringing as a lack of social connection and boredom. Her only form of social engagement was through neighborhood sporting activities.
The 31-year-old is a member of the Solomon Islands National Para-Sports team. She is expected to compete in two para-sport events – table tennis and shot put at the 2019 Arafura Games, Darwin Australia in April.
This is the personal story of her extraordinary survival and future dreams in para-sports in the country.
Solomon Women Newspaper (SWN): Tell us about yourself and your background.
Noella Olo (NO): I am 31 and the fourth child among seven other siblings. I was born with a disability. My parents separated when I was 9 and I lived with my mother until now. I didn’t attend any formal education. I don’t know how to read or write.
This made my life very boring; however, the only thing to cheer me up was going out playing outdoor games with my friends.
SWN: How do you come to involve in sports?
NO: I started to have a strong interest in playing football when I was 12. At that time I came to learn about Solomon Islands’ few best athletes participating in regional and international competitions. I told myself – This is my dream and I’m going to play and represent my country overseas too – I began to train hard and put more energy into my routine training.
I was lucky to have chosen to play in several small football competitions and knockouts at my home village and in Honiara. Not until three years ago in 2016, did I come to love playing table tennis and the dream of playing overseas started to come into reality in my life.
After being trained in table tennis for three months, I was sent to play in the Para Table Tennis in Fiji, representing the Solomon Islands. I returned to Honiara and after two weeks, I was later sent back to Fiji for a similar sports event.
In 2017, I participated in the Vanuatu Mini Games, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play due to some problems – my name didn’t appear on the list of Solomon athletes to compete in the Pacific Games, so I just stayed to watch the games and later returned home.
In May 2018, I was again fortunate to represent the Solomon Islands in Canberra, Australia in the table tennis competition and was also fortunate to attend a workshop on Coaching Training.
SWN: How would you share your experience in the future?
NO: As my first time in history traveling out of the country with my sports talent, I came to feel good about and want to continue pursuing my dreams. As my love for table tennis started to grow, it also made me want to help other children to play the game.
I felt like I need to help and train these kids for the purpose of involving them in sports in the country, but also for going out to play overseas as well, representing the Solomon Islands. I’m very happy to train children to play table tennis and I’m enjoying their company as well.
SWN: Describe your challenges?
NO: I usually face some tough challenges in my life with sports and this can make me really angry and sad at times. Living with just my mother in Honiara and not having been employed in any way, sometimes I find it hard to stand up with my training session duties.
My mom usually prepares something to sell at the Central Market and in my free time I help her out, so when it comes to my training sessions I can ask my mom for $6 just to take me to where I’m doing my training and back home. I went to play overseas and got medals for my performances but sports do not pay me.
This is also one of my challenges because I expect I should get a small amount of pay for my involvement in sports and representing the country. This does not worry me too much as it is my talent and what I love doing.
My family members (siblings) don’t help me with money or any other way to do what I love doing. Whenever I ask for any help, they turn my request down and so I started to realize I can’t depend on them and I must build myself up.
SWN: What motivates you?
NO: I have many friends from People with Disability Solomon Islands (PWDSI) who always encourage me to keep going and pursue my goals in sports.
We (people with disabilities) sometimes are asked to work on projects from the government and other NGOs. This strengthens me in my financial needs and supports my mother with household needs and other needs.
People with disabilities are not well recognized in our country, but at least we are doing something, which able people can’t even try to do.
I’m proud of who I am and I stand for my own rights with my friends from People With Disability in the Solomon Islands (PWDSI) and from our own world, I believe we can do more better than what we’ve already achieved in life.
SWN: What is your advice to children/youths with special needs in the country?
NO: There is a very big interest in sports nowadays and I’m calling out there to children and youths that can’t be able to go to school to come out and involve in sports.
This can help in growing the spirit and talent of sports in you. You can’t know if you have a talent and good taste in sports unless you try it out yourself. So come out and build yourself in sports and help yourself to get opportunities of traveling overseas to play and explore the outside world.
