By Ileann Powery,Special Olympics Cayman

Copyright caymancompass

Special Olympics Cayman Islands kicked off its 2025-26 season with an inaugural opening event, featuring British Olympian Laviai Nielsen.

The event, held at the Marriott Grand Cayman on 20 Sept., brought athletes, coaches, and supporters together to celebrate ability, community and the new season ahead.

Nielsen, a 29-year-old 400-metre sprinter who has represented Great Britain on the world stage, shared her story with attendees during a fireside chat led by Special Olympics Cayman Islands PR and marketing director Louise Carroll.

The sprinter shared her track and field journey, including how she has navigated the sport while living with multiple sclerosis. She explained the challenges of training with MS and encouraged others to use their own circumstances as a source of strength, finding their “why” in the process.

For Julius Smith, a Cayman Special Olympian multi-medallist and athlete representative on the Special Olympics committee board, the message resonated deeply.

“It was very inspiring to see that despite the difficulties and challenges she has faced, she has overcome them on the grand stage of them all,” he said.

Smith, a multi-sport athlete who competes in track and field, paddle boarding, kayaking, and swimming, recognised the shared experience of being Olympians between him and Nielsen.

“It makes me really feel good about myself to know that we’re all equal and as a unified organization, everyone is included,” he said.

Lewin Solomon, another Cayman Special Olympics athlete, took the opportunity to approach Nielsen after her talk to share his workout routine.

Her encouragement was for him to challenge himself even more by getting into the gym – advice that Solomon was grateful for and said he agreed with.

While Nielsen has spoken to school athletes and track and field clubs, this marked her first time as a guest speaker for a Special Olympics event, an experience she described as “really special”.

Reflecting on the feedback from the many athletes in attendance, she said she found the experience equally inspiring.

“Most people came up to me and shared which sport they played, and it was really nice to hear the passion they had for their sport. I love anyone that’s passionate about anything, whether it’s sports or starting a business,” she said.

“It gives me sort of a sense of inspiration, so it’s been equally inspiring for me as well.”

Louise Carroll described the event as “a great start to the day and season” adding that SOCI hopes to make the event an annual tradition.

“We plan to keep this momentum going, through the season and on to the 2027 World Games in Chile,” she said.