“Autistic Athlete” finds “True Meaning” through Special Olympics “in the most sensible, caring way.”
Once upon a time, Azaan used to be severely overweight, his blood sugar levels were high, and he had sleep apnea. He needed to use a CPAP machine to help him breathe and sleep better at night.
As a result of the CPAP therapy, changing his diet as recommended, and through his participation in basketball and athletics programs with Special Olympics Ontario, Azaan became healthier. He’s slim now, his blood sugar levels are normal, he no longer needs a CPAP machine, and he has a starring role in the Special Olympics Canada “Joy Is Gold” campaign!
Azaan understands the benefits of being physically active:
“It’s good for my own potential mind and bodily system….it keeps me moving!”
Azaan joined Special Olympics Ontario’s community programs at the end of 2019, while he was still in high school. His mother Sylvia had heard about Special Olympics, and thought it would be good for her son health-wise and socially, to participate in a sports program beyond what he was already doing with his special education program. Sylvia recalled people would often suggest from when he was young, that Azaan— who now stands at around 6’9—should play basketball. It was appealing to her knowing that Special Olympics provided an inclusive environment where he could learn how to play hoops. Playing out of Scarborough—in the eastern part of Toronto—he joined The Toronto Tornadoes basketball team. Later on, he also joined the Riverdale Rockets track and field team.
Over time, Sylvia started volunteering with the Toronto Tornadoes and then became their Team Manager. Like a lot of parents turned volunteers, she first joined the role to help provide administrative support to Azaan’s team, but then she quickly grew to enjoy it for her own sake.
Being involved in this community warms my heart. We have a fantastic group of coaches, program volunteers and inspiring athletes.
She notes that there have been some additional benefits to being kept busy at practices and tournaments.
“It prevents me from being a bit of a “helicopter mom.” She admits that before she had a tendency to have her eyes glued on Azaan as he played. “But not so much now, right Azaan?”
Azaan replied that while he does have fun playing on the team when Sylvia is busy on the sidelines handling other stuff, he also still enjoys when she watches him play. He said that having a mom as his team’s manager is “untypical, which means special!”
“Our Tornadoes Head Coach Leo had a vision of what our team could become”, Sylvia said. “Last season our team grew. Before that we had about a dozen athletes, and then it doubled basically. In addition, some of our more experienced athletes had the opportunity to participate alongside college student athletes, as part of the Centennial Colts Unified team. It’s been a great learning experience for me, as a volunteer. “
With so many new athletes, The Toronto Tornadoes were able to split into a D Team and a C Team. As with many other sports organizations, Special Olympics uses Divisioning to make sure all athletes have access to fair competition against their peers. This adjusts those at different competition levels into separate groups of athletes. Azaan is on the Toronto Tornadoes’ D division team because that is where he feels the most competitively challenged without things being too easy or too difficult.
Azaan’s fitness level has improved since becoming a Special Olympics athlete.
Through all the running around and other exercises that naturally come as part of playing sports, Azaan managed to lose the excess weight that was negatively affecting his health. This personal improvement also came about as he changed his diet; highlighting the importance of nutritional guidelines and other forms of health advice which are part of Special Olympics Canada’s Healthy Athletes programs.
On his Special Olympics Toronto Tornadoes basketball team, Azaan gets to play alongside Andrew, a fellow classmate from his high school who he described as being “positively best friends” with. The two got to run alongside each other on camera for the Joy Is Gold track shoot.
While the film shoot made for a long and tiring day, for Azaan it was worth it as soon as he saw the footage of himself running.
“‘Woah, that’s me!’” Azaan remembered saying.
I look really fast. I look like the Black Panther would when it comes to moving.
On top of it being a fun day at the running track with his fellow athletes, and with family and family friends cheering everyone on, Azaan’s focal role in the Joy Is Gold commercial is also a top-line experience to be added to his resume.
Azaan has Autism and he is an aspiring actor and model with Kello Inclusive - a division of All Heart Talent —a talent agency that represents talent who are disabled, neurodiverse and visibly different models, actors, and speakers. Azaan is well supported in his endeavours thanks to his agency, and with Sylvia’s help - whose career background is in media.
For Special Olympics Ontario, Azaan previously participated in the Tim Horton’s Special Olympics Donut campaign as an Athlete Ambassador, and he looks forward to whatever new opportunities the future brings.
“You need the authenticity,” Sylvia said, about film and television characters with disabilities being played by actors who have those same conditions.
“I can’t imagine [The Joy Is Gold stars] not being real athletes,” she added, “and it’s important for the athletes to have that opportunity, it’s really empowering.”