Egypt's intellectually challenged athletes are competing in the Special Olympics World Summer Games which starts tomorrow in Athens, Abeer Anwar reports This is the first time Egypt's mentally disabled athletes will participate in a world event after the 25 January Revolution. In a way, the athletes, who are no strangers to issues of inequality, are representing all of Egypt which during the demonstrations called for social justice and dignity. Special Olympic Egypt (SOE) is taking part with 77 athletes competing in bocce, football, swimming, bowling, equestrianship, tennis, table tennis, basketball, weightlifting and badminton. This is the fifth participation of SOE in the world event. Its board was changed after the revolution. The Egyptian delegation will be headed by Abdel-Wahab Mahmoud and Basem El-Tohami who thanked the Egyptian Armed Forces -- currently in charge of the country following the demonstrations which forced Hosni Mubarak to step down as president -- for what Mahmoud said was "removing obstacles faced by the delegation and which gave intellectually disabled athletes hope and a chance to participate in the Games that they have been waiting for four years." The army provided athletes a place to train and camp before the Games. They also thanked the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) headed by Ayman Abdel-Wahab for greatly helping make the Egyptian dream come true. The Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens will host 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from nearly 180 countries from 24 June to 4 July. During the 10-day event, athletes will compete in 22 Olympic-type sports: aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian, football, golf, gymnastics, handball, judo, kayaking, power lifting, roller skating, sailing, softball, table tennis, tennis and volleyball. The emblem of Athens 2011 is a radiant sun, the source of life that underlines the excellence and power of the athlete who takes part in the Games. Excellence is depicted in the olive branch and power in the spiral form in the centre of the sun. The colours reflect the Greek landscape and projects emotions like passion for life in the warm red, optimism in the orange, determination in the blue, freedom in the light blue and hope in the green. The sun is the symbol of optimism, joy and glory. Its light and warmth are considered a source of life and happiness. Greece, known for its sunshine, has since ancient times worshiped the sun as a god. The sun's selection as the mascot of the Athens Summer Games aims to convey the message of joy and optimism towards all athletes, and to welcome them in Greece with a big warm hug. In the Olympics Games, Apollon, the god of Sun, is present only in the torch lighting ceremony after being called upon by the high priestess. In Athens, Apollon will be present and will spread its light to all athletes who will keep the Flame of Hope lit. SOE travelled for four days before the Games began to participate in the Host Town Programme, a special event of Athens 2011. Delegations from around the world were hosted throughout the 13 regions of Greece prior to their arrival in Athens for the Games. Through a series of sporting, cultural and artistic events, Special Olympics athletes will have the opportunity to adapt to a new environment, to experience Greek culture, to enjoy the country's natural beauty and traditional cuisine, as well as train before the Games. At the same time, Greek citizens of each region will have the opportunity to coexist interactively with the international delegations which will participate in the Games, and as a result, they will learn more about people with intellectual disabilities, their skills and their abilities, and who want to become productive and respected members of their society. MENA has been drastically affected by the Arab Spring but will be able to participate in the Games with 20 programmes out of 23 which is considered by many a small miracle. "Almost all the countries of the region are suffering from revolutions and tension," Ayman Abdel-Wahab, SO MENA president and executive director said. "We have revolutions in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. Not only that but there is tension in Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Morocco, Jordan, etc. but we did our best through the continuous care and help provided by Special Olympics headquarters in the United States. They were eager to make it possible for all the MENA region athletes to participate in their World Summer Games." Abdel-Wahab added that Greece and the Games organising committee were trying to make it easy for all to participate.
