Norwegian swimmer Aleksander Haaberg, and his father, Lasse, cycled 1,250 kilometres on a bicycle in 14 days, and raised around 700 euros to support an international association that promotes sport for people with Down's syndrome.
Aleks, the only Norwegian swimmer to participate in the World Championships for people with Down Syndrome, arrived in Albufeira with his father, after having cycled 1,250 kilometres from Alicante, in Spain to “raise awareness” and get support.
For Aleks' father, the challenge had yet another objective: “To show that if people with Down Syndrome are encouraged and supported, they can do almost anything”.
“His attitude throughout this challenge was extraordinary, at no time did he show that he was dissatisfied or that he wanted to stop”, Aleks' father told the Lusa news agency, remembering that there were parts of the route “with great challenges and difficulty”, especially in the area of Extremadura, in Spain.
Lasse Haaberg was also very pleased that Aleks was looked at as an example of willingness: “In Évora, we found a little girl who also has Down Syndrome, and we chatted with her father. I explained to him all the advantages of playing sport, I think I convinced him”.
“I have no doubt that sport has improved my son's many abilities and has helped him a lot. He has been playing sports since childhood, skiing, cycling and swimming. Recently, he started playing football and doing track and field and gymnastics. All this brings you benefits”, says his father.
In the approximately 100 kilometres they travelled each day, father and son listened to music, another of Aleks' passions, who plays the drums, and sang.
The camera installed on one of the bikes filmed the entire adventure and, daily, Aleks' sister posted a summary on social networks so that everyone could follow the adventure towards the 10th edition of the DSISO World Championships (International Swimming Organization for Down Syndrome), which run until Saturday in Albufeira.
In Trondheim, his hometown in Norway, Aleks works as a stocker in a supermarket, and lives alone in an apartment very close to his family, and manages, according to his father, “to have a practically independent life”.
The 1,250 kilometres between Alicante and Albufeira were not Aleks' first big cycling challenge. In 2015, he accompanied his father and a group of friends on a 1,200 kilometre adventure that served to raise funds for refugees.
The 10th edition of the DSISO World Championships of adapted swimming and artistic swimming brings together around 200 athletes, including 10 Portuguese, from 24 countries. This is the second time it has been held in Albufeira.
Source https://postal.pt/
