Chicago Park District gives veterans taste of the Winter Olympics

CHICAGO - Some disabled veterans are drawing inspiration from the Winter Olympics and getting a chance to try some of the games’ unusual, icy sports.

The Chicago Park District is helping a lot of vets get a good workout Tuesday at McKinley Park on the Southwest Side.

Some of the vets are blind while others are amputees, but they're all getting a chance to take part in some of the events that make the Winter Olympics so much fun.

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"Everything went good."

It's a first time for a lot of the disabled vets who are taking part in the first ever Urban Adaptive Sports Experience from the park district.

About 30 vets from several states are spending the day at McKinley Park, learning how to skate, ski, curling and even the biathlon, which combines skiing and shooting.

Among those who took part in the event were Ajay Mohammed, a Navy veteran who lost his sight from an injury while serving in the Middle East in 2004. But he still enjoys skating with the help of a guide.

"It's fun. It's one of those sports being visually impaired that I don't need much assistance. I can do on my own. It gives me that freedom that a lot of people are searching for with disabilities," Mohammed said.

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"The goal of the program is to expose veterans to a variety of winter sports. It's a very inactive time, especially with the pandemic. We want to make sure veterans have an opportunity to try something new, but also meet other veterans who are doing these sports with them," said Aimee Gottlieb of the Chicago Park District.

The park district said this is the first time it has ever tried something like this and it went very well. The park district said they plan to make this an annual event and hope to add some new winter sports as they go along.