Egypt is participating in the World Summer Games of the Special Olympics (SO), slated for 17-25 June in Berlin.
SO Egypt will join the Games with a 109-strong delegation, 69 of whom are athletes. The country will compete in 15 sports: futsal, basketball, table tennis, tennis, swimming, badminton, gymnastics, judo, equestrian, weightlifting, bocci, bowling, athletics, cycling and floor hockey. Egypt is also taking part in the Global Athlete Congress and the Global Youth Leadership Summit.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities for five million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries.
The Special Olympics Flame of Hope was lit by a high priestess in Athens in a solemn ceremony at the historic temple Zappeion Megaron. The flame will arrive at the opening ceremony at the Olympiastadion on 17 June.
The Flame of Hope is one of the most important symbols of the Games and stands for peace, unity and hope. Before the official start, the flame is traditionally lit in a colorful ceremony in Athens, also the case for the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin 2023.
During the opening ceremony, the athletes, who will take centre stage, will celebrate their participation in the Special Olympics World Games with their delegations and families, as well as volunteers, guests and spectators. The opening ceremony stands for inclusion, cosmopolitanism and diversity.
Speeches will highlight the importance of the Games for Berlin and Germany. In addition to the Parade of Athletes and the lighting of the Special Olympics Flame, an inclusive top-class show will provide entertainment.
“Our players were selected from a number of national games in various sports and entered a closed camp at the Olympic Centre,” Bassem Al-Tohami, SO Egypt national director, said.
Al-Tohami said the delegation will travel early this week to join the host town programme “as Egypt will be welcomed by the city of Isen where they will spend time with the families and the citizens of the town before moving to Berlin for the opening ceremony”.
The SO Middle East and Africa region will be represented in the Games by 20 programmes in the region. “I am very happy that we are going back to our normal lives and activities after three years of lockdown,” Ayman Abdel-Wahab, SO MENA regional president and managing director, said. “Our athletes met a number of challenges but at last they will be able to join, compete and enjoy the spirit of the Games. Although a number of countries of the MENA region are suffering from war and bad situations, I am proud to announce that 20 programmes have been able to make it to the World Summer Games in Berlin 2023. It is a great opportunity for mingling, exchanging ideas, joining other cultures and enjoying the differences and feeling the spirit of inclusion,” Abdel-Wahab said.
“This conference is very beneficial as it gives us the chance as heads of delegations to ensure that all facilities and all our delegation’s needs are well prepared and easy to access,” said Emad Mohieddin, the head of the delegations conference, held prior to the Games, and who is representing the MENA region. “I can announce that Berlin is ready to welcome 7,000 athletes, 2,500 coaches and 20,000 volunteers.”
In addition to sporting competitions, a cultural festival and three congresses will take place at Messe Berlin, an exhibition grounds.
At the Global Athletes Congress (GAC), the athletes’ representatives from the Special Olympics regions of the world will meet to discuss existing projects and those in the planning phase, as well as the concerns of athletes in general.
The Global Youth Leadership Summit (GYLS) brings together tandems of intellectually impaired and non-impaired youth from all over the planet. They will focus on how they can improve inclusion around the world. The goal is that afterwards they use this knowledge as inclusion leaders in their respective countries.
Also, the Global Forum for Inclusion (GF), held for the first time at the World Games, brings together participants from GAC and GYLS, international government officials, representatives of international NGOs and other organisations, and scholars to discuss inclusion in the future.
Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world, including local, national and regional competitions, adding up to more than 100,000 events a year.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 June, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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