UAE official confident of healthy medal haul from team in Athens

Dubai: A top UAE official is quietly confident of a much better performance at the Special Olympics that get under way in Athens tomorrow.

"We are a people who have more than once shown our capabilities on the field especially at the Special Olympics, and this time will be no different," Thani Juma Bereggad, vice- chairman of the UAE Special Olympics and chairman of the Dubai Club for Special Needs told Gulf News from Germany yesterday.

Berregad, who will join up with the squad in Greece, was upbeat about the UAE's chances of bettering their previous best haul of 28 medals in Shanghai 2007.

"We have put in that much hard work and effort in ensuring our athletes are in prime form for these Games, and that is where the confidence comes from," Berregad said.

Strong team

The UAE team which had travelled to Athens is 70-strong, compared with the 40 who went to Shanghai.

There are also 50 officials accompanying the squad with members participating in badminton, powerlifting, volleyball, table tennis, bowling, bocce, cycling, football, athletics, equestrian, swimming and basketball.

"Everyone had a chance to prove what they were capable of leading up to the Games and the ones who are making the trip are the ones who we believe will bring glory to our country," Berregad said.

However, the official rued the lack of external exposure for the athletes during their preparation due to factors out of their control.

"The rules stipulate that we keep bringing in new faces during the Games and this has resulted in major changes for our squad. But we are quietly confident that these athletes are capable of returning with a much better medal haul this time," Berregad said.

"We have set a goal and hopefully we can achieve this objective," he said.