2 Arizona Special Olympics athletes meet President Trump in Oval Office

PHOENIX – Two Arizonans were among a group of Special Olympics delegates welcomed to the White House by President Donald Trump last week.

Sawne Rippey and his mother, Tasha Crofton, were in the group of 20 representatives of Special Olympics to meet with the president and Vice President Mike Pence in the Oval Office on July 18.

The pair were members of the Special Olympics Arizona basketball team that competed in the USA Games in Seattle and World Games in Abu Dhabi.

Rippey played alongside his mother on a Unified team, where Special Olympics athletes team up with partners who don’t have disabilities for training and competition.

So proud to have @SOArizona athletes Tasha Crofton and Sawne Rippey part of this great celebration. #WeAreSoaz https://t.co/ytUB0SABMQ

— Special Olympics Arizona #WeAreSOAZ (@SOArizona) July 19, 2019

“We are so proud of Tasha and Sawne, along with everyone from Special Olympics USA who showcased their skills in the Special Olympics World Games,” Jamie Heckerman, CEO of Special Olympics Arizona, said in a press release.

“It truly is a remarkable accomplishment to be recognized by the White House and an honor that will last with them a lifetime.”

In March, the U.S. sent a 315-member team to the first World Games held in the Middle East and brought home 72 gold, 62 silver and 70 bronze medals plus 97 participation ribbons, the release said.

First lady Melania Trump, second lady Karen Pence and United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba joined the president and vice president in greeting the Special Olympics contingent.

It was the first time a Special Olympics team was invited to the White House after a World Games.

“This is special for me and special for the first lady because this is Special Olympics. And we have a lot of the great champions here,” the president said after talking with each athlete, according to the release.

“They won, and they came in a couple of seconds and a couple of thirds, but a lot of first places. And we (the USA) did fantastically well. What you’ve done is incredible.”

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