Dubai: The local organising committee for the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 is hosting a six-week summer camp in Dubai Sports World at Dubai World Trade Centre to engage people with intellectual disabilities ahead of the World Games.
The camp, supported by Dubai Sports Council and Emaar Properties, started on Monday and will see participants to attend weekly training sessions in football, basketball and cycling, with the help of qualified coaches, culminating in a tournament to put skills to the test. Special Olympics ambassadors, members of the UAE Special Olympics team and Emaar employees will also join the weekly training sessions to help train and mentor participants.
Khalfan Al Mazrouei, managing director of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, said: “With next year’s Special Olympics World Games taking place in Abu Dhabi, this is one of the many events and initiatives that we are taking part in to engage with the wider community of people with intellectual disabilities across the UAE to encourage the movement to live in a more unified and inclusive society in the UAE and abroad.”
Hisham Al Yassi, a Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 volunteer, who attended the first training session, said: “The first training session at Dubai Sports World was a big success and really fun to be a part of. Hosting the World Games in Abu Dhabi and being able to be involved in the Special Olympics movement is something I am hugely proud of. I am looking forward to getting involved with more events over the next nine months, and I cannot wait to see all of these amazing athletes competing at the World Games in March.”
The Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, from March 8-22, will be the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world, with 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches representing more than 170 countries. It will be the most unified games in history and promises to offer an inclusive experience for those with and without intellectual disabilities.
