Alan Russo talks to his horse before mounting up for an equestrian lesson at the Baymar Stables in Spring Valley, N.J. Tuesday, May 29, 2007. Russo, 19, has Downs Syndrome and participates in a number of Special Olympics sports, including English horseback riding. With more than 2.25 million athletes taking part in programs in over 160 countries, Special Olympics' mission is to offer year-round sports training for those with intellectual disabilities in order for them to increase their physical fitness, attend local, state/provincial, national and international competitions and positively change their lives.(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

By JAYNA DESAI
NEW YORK (AP) -- Special Olympics has something for all four of the Russo brothers. Depending on the tournament, Ronnie, 38, might run track. Kris, 33, could play golf. And Damian, 29, and Alan, 19, might enter equestrian events. The four, all of whom have Down syndrome, are gold medalists, says their adoptive mother, Teri.

Special Olympics officials wish New York had more participants like the Russos, but the program isn't attracting as many athletes and volunteers here or in some other big cities as it does in smaller places. Finding available sports facilities and arranging transportation are among the challenges.

Organization officials are testing what they call an Urban Strategy. If it works in New York, they say, the initiative can serve as an example for other cities, such as Los Angeles and Mexico City.

"If we see ourselves as a platform for social change, there's no better place to do it than in a city like New York," said Andrea Cahn, director of Urban Strategy and Government Relations for Special Olympics North America. "And if we can make that social change happen here, it should have a ripple effect throughout the world."

More than 2.25 million athletes with intellectual disabilities take part in Special Olympics programs in more than 160 countries. There are no entry fees, and transportation and lodging at competitions are free.

But in many big cities, Special Olympics competes for scarce sports facilities. Also, in New York, fewer people have cars, making carpooling more difficult. And finding volunteers can be trickier with often-demanding work schedules.

"For the almost 40 years we've been in existence, Special Olympics has been, what I would call, a suburban model," Cahn said. "This doesn't mean we're not in cities, it just means it hasn't really changed its delivery model very dramatically since we first started."

Under the Urban Strategy, officially launched in November, the organization hopes to find more sponsors, increase the number of New York athletes from 25,000 to 40,000 by 2010, recruit more volunteers, give coaches more training and secure more sports fields.

To accomplish these goals, Special Olympics plans to strengthen ties with the city government, corporations, schools and assisted-living centers, which could offer both volunteers and facilities, said Michelle LeMay Santiago, a regional director for the program.

"It's more challenging for us to get that softball field to practice in on a regular basis or the Olympic-size pool without it costing huge amounts of dollars," LeMay Santiago said. "That's why partnerships are very important."

Special Olympics Chairman Timothy P. Shriver said the organization has focused on international growth in recent years, but he realized that same urgency was missing in some of the biggest U.S. cities.

New York was a natural launching pad for the new strategy, he said.

"I think in this day and age, New Yorkers are looking, like everybody else, for something to believe in," said Shriver, whose mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded Special Olympics in 1968. "And I think they can believe in our athletes, and I think our athletes have a vision for the future that's better than any politician or any business leader or any celebrity out there.

"All those people get a lot of face time in New York and I think it's time our athletes got some face time as credible and legitimate role models for the city and for the future."

Teri Russo, the mother of the four athletes, who herself has multiple sclerosis, sees Special Olympics as a way to thwart prejudice against people with intellectual disabilities and to promote interest in their cause.

"It's really great to see their drive and to see them meet their challenges and make it no matter what," Russo said. "There are people who walk around feeling sorry for themselves. Sit down and take a look at what they have to deal with."

It also helps her sons, of course.

"Special Olympics gives them a great opportunity to develop as human beings, to realize that they're not always No. 1," Russo said. "And they've gotten good friendships from it. It's like, in track, if somebody falls, they'll turn around, pick them up, help them across and not even consider `Well, I just lost a blue ribbon.'"

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