He chose his words carefully when asked about his box lunches at the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games. In the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, chicken is the poultry of choice and turkey's unheard of, said Isa's coach, Nasser Nasser Mohamed. Isa and Mohamed Hassan, also 16, traveled 38 hours by jet to attend the games. Although they're from a region more familiar with desert than dogsledding, they're part of an effort to expand participation in Special Olympics. Floor hockey requires six players with sticks that look like broom handles and a soft puck that looks like a flattened doughnut.
Floor hockey is the most popular sport at the games.
From the Middle East, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon sent teams. Essam Kamal, Special Olympics regional sports manager for the Middle East and North Africa, wanted more of the region's athletes involved and obtained a grant last year to train athletes and coaches in floor hockey in 10 other countries. He wanted a regional team from the Middle East and North Africa to take the floor under the banner of MENA-Select. But visa or financial problems prevented athletes from Iran, Yemen and Palestine from attending. That left athletes from Bahrain and Mauritania without enough teammates.