Special Olympics participates in the 10th Regional Games

A delegation from Al-Tamouh Club for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, the official representative of Special Olympics, traveled to Cairo to participate in the second phase of the 10th Special Olympics Regional Games for the Middle East and North Africa region in performance sports. The competition, which concludes on the 23rd of this month, includes equestrian, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and weightlifting.

Sadia Al-Ansari, Chair of the Families Council at Special Olympics, told KUNA that participating in this regional event is important because it provides athletes with an opportunity to represent Kuwait and compete against counterparts from various countries, thereby contributing to the development of their technical and athletic levels and strengthening the presence of sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities in regional and international competitions.

She noted that the participation goes beyond the competitive aspect by providing an opportunity to showcase the athletes' abilities, boost their self-confidence and independence, and foster a team spirit. She emphasized the importance of sports in inclusion, empowerment, building the athlete's personality, and enhancing their active participation in society.

Al-Ansari added that Special Olympics is participating in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics for the first time with two female athletes, marking an important step toward expanding the base of these two sports and discovering more athletic talents in the coming phase.

For her part, equestrian coach Sarah Bouhamadi said that the equestrian athletes underwent an intensive training program focused on developing physical and technical skills and raising their level of readiness. She praised the enthusiasm, determination, and commitment they demonstrated during training, confirming their readiness to compete.

She stated that Kuwait is represented in equestrian by Nawaf Al-Qassar, Abdullah Al-Ali, Maryam Dhiab, and Basma Al-Basili, under the supervision of Mohammed Al-Kandari and Sarah Bouhamadi. Salman Shihab and Shaker Al-Hilali are competing in weightlifting under the supervision of Jalal Hamdi, while Fatima Faris and Hajar Al-Rashidi are participating in gymnastics under the supervision of Enji Al-Dawi.