During a press conference at the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy in Abu Dhabi, Special Olympics UAE announced the launch of the inaugural UAE Games. The event showcases more than 1,000 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities, students of determination, unified partners, coaches, technical staff, and supervisory teams.
The UAE Games are two main events. The first part of the event, approximately 400 students participated in the Unified Schools UAE Games at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on May 21 and May 22. Following this, the UAE Games for People of Determination’s Clubs and Centres will take place next month, with over 600 athletes competing in badminton, basketball, bowling, football, e-sports, and powerlifting from June 7-10.
The UAE Games are organised in close collaboration with several sports federations, including the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Dubai Sports Council, and Sharjah Sports Council. His Excellency Talal Al Hashemi National Director of Special Olympics UAE and Chairman of the UAE Games Organising Committee, said: “We are keen to apply best international practices and provide a platform for athletes with developmental and intellectual challenges to demonstrate their abilities and compete in a positive and empowering environment, that allows them to communicate and form friendships.
Additionally, the games will enable Special Olympics UAE to assess athletes’ and use the insights generated for future planning and development plans, and that Special Olympics UAE will collaborate with the People of Determination’s clubs and centres on executing in the future.” To enhance community engagement and participation, Special Olympics UAE and its partners will be organising a variety of sports and health activities to coincide with the UAE Games.
This will involve conducting health screenings of athletes. According to a statement from an event organiser, the first UAE Games for People of Determination aims to challenge stereotypes about individuals with intellectual disabilities. The event will provide an opportunity for students and athletes with intellectual disabilities to realise their potential. His Excellency Talal Al Hashemi stated that the inaugural Games will continue the impactful legacy of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019
The Special Olympics World Games
The Special Olympics World Games took place in Abu Dhabi in 2019, attracting over 7,000 athletes from 200 nations to the emirate. The Special Olympics movement was established to offer continuous sports training and athletic competition in various Olympic-type sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics History
In 1961, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, John F. Kennedy’s sister, started a campaign to change the treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities, leading to the establishment of Special Olympics. The first International Special Olympics Games took place in Chicago in 1968, marking the official incorporation of Special Olympics by the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation.
Special Olympics is a worldwide movement dedicated to fostering a more inclusive and welcoming community, where every individual is accepted and valued, regardless of their abilities. Their goal is to contribute to a better, healthier, and more joyful world for athletes and their families.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organisation for people with intellectual disabilities: with 4.4 million athletes in 170 countries – and millions more volunteers and supporters. They are also a global and social movement.
Special Olympics UAE
In the early 1990s, the Special Olympics movement began in the UAE as a committee under the People of Disabilities Sports Union. During this time, hundreds of athletes were trained, and several local and regional competitions were hosted. In 2017, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, announced his directive to re-establish Special Olympics UAE as an independent association endorsed by the Ministry of Community Development.
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