Rebecca Started for Fitness, and Stayed for the World Games

From joining sports simply for health benefits to medalling on the world stage, Rebecca Birss has come a long way.

Rebecca’s parents enrolled her into Active Start when she was only two years old. Born with Down Syndrome, Rebecca’s doctors found she had low muscle tone. This is a common symptom of Down Syndrome, and her doctors suggested Rebecca go into physiotherapy to build her strength up.

“The Occupational Therapist suggested Special Olympics as an activity to improve her motor skills,” said Michele Birss—Rebecca’s mother—in an email written alongside her daughter.

Participating in rhythmic gymnastics and athletics, Rebecca has also done basketball, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing within Special Olympics. While she has too much fun playing all of them to pick a favourite sport, Rebecca has competitively gone the furthest in gymnastics.

During her training for the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2023 in Berlin, Rebecca not only had to do a lot of practicing, but also kept a journal of her diet and exercises to stay in her top physical shape. Rebecca said the effort was worth it, to be part of Special Olympics Team Canada and make friends with her fellow athletes from across the country.

“I was so proud to wear the Canada flag on my team apparel,” Rebecca said.