‘The Flame of Hope’…well, that’s the name of the torch at the Special Olympics World Games here.
And ‘Right where I’m supposed to be’, that’s the Games’ anthem.
Everything at the Special Olympics World Games, which had a colourful opening ceremony at the Zayed Sports City Stadium here on Thursday night, has been carefully chosen to offer hope to athletes with intellectual disabilities.
A few decades ago, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of former American President John F. Kennedy, saw her elder sister Rosemary virtually being pushed into a shell because of her intellectual disability.
That inspired Eunice to help people with the issue, offering them hope, helping them feel that they too belong here and guiding them to face the world bravely. Eunice was the heart and soul of the Special Olympics movement and she felt that sports could be platform to unite people. That was how the first Special Olympics was born and the first Games were held in Chicago in 1968.
A lot has changed in the 50 years after the first Games, as Abu Dhabi and the UAE showed to the world during the opening ceremony on Thursday. Many of the athletes here appeared fresh, bold and confident and that offered plenty of lessons to the world.
“This will bring us all closer together,” said an athlete from the host nation UAE at the opening ceremony here.
Very thoughtfully, the ceremony had been designed in collaboration with people with learning difficulties, who recited their own poems and led dance performances during the two-hour show.
There was some lively music from some top names, both from the host nation and outside.
Over the next few days, as 7500 athletes from nearly 200 sports, fight for the honours at these Games in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, there will be a variety of events in their honour.
And there is a concert, aptly named ‘Stand up for Inclusion’ coming in a couple of days here.
(The writer is in Abu Dhabi at the invitation of the UAE Government).
