Sports helps through hard times.

• Author: Perales, Jaime
• Position: Eduardo Seis, ambulatory disabled marathon runner

LAST NOVEMBER, Eduardo Seis, First Sergeant in the Ecuadorian Army, finished second in the ambulatory disabled category of the New York City Marathon. "Sports have helped me through hard times," he said. With over 36,000 runners, the New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world. So coming in second place is no small thing, and running 26.2 miles can tire you out just hearing about it.

In addition to the marathon in New York City, Seis has participated in several races in Ecuador. "I've been interested in sports since I was little," he said. He also practiced sports in the army and ran track, swam, and bicycled for fun.

Seis lost use of his arms in the late 1990s when he ran across a active mine in Tiwinza, a conflict area between Ecuador and Peru. Thousands of antipersonnel landmines are buried in this area.

When peace accords were signed between the two countries in 1998, the OAS began helping with mine removal. Today, humanitarian mine removal operations continue in the area.

But the OAS has gone beyond removal of landmines to direct support of the victims through its sports therapy program that began two years ago.

"[After the accident], I fell into depression at first and started drinking, but later participating in sports got me out of it," Seis confided. In fact, sports therapy has been a way of using activities like track, cycling, and swimming to help many athletes who have been victims of anti-personnel landmines in countries ranging from Russia to Colombia.

Seis is part of a team of athletes who are also landmine victims. Their participation in events like the New York City Marathon has been possible through the in-kind donations of the Achilles Track Club (ATC), Heroes del Cenepa, and the OAS. Athletes Jose Paez and Angel Pulla were also able to participate this year as a result of this joint effort.

"A few years ago, the OAS also supported Edgar Moreno, a Colombian cyclist and landmine...