Special Olympics Nigeria In Abu Dhabi for world games

Team Special Olympics (SO) Nigeria will be taking part in eight events at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games, which began yesterday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate. It will end on March 21st.

The SO Nigeria, which is made up of 84-man delegate, consists of 60 athletes, who will participate in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Football, Table-tennis, Volleyball, Swimming and Cycling and 24 officials that comprise of coaches, caregivers and medical personnel, will assist the athletes in the travel and competition.

At the sent-forth occasion held on Thursday, the Chairman of SO Nigeria, Mr. Victor Osibodu, represented by Engr. Charles Akindayomi, thanked the sponsors for their unrelenting supports over the years.

“The Games marks the culmination of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Special Olympics, and the beginning of the next 50 years of the inclusion movement. We are confident in the ability of our team to return victorious, as they have undergone nine months of intensive training and preparation.

“At the last World Games, which was the Winter Games held in 2017 at Austria, 22 athletes represented SO Nigeria and returned home with 12 gold and 10 silver medals. We are hopeful we will bring more medals home this year.

“The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games will be the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world. It is expected to bring together 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches, 1,500 officials, 20,000 volunteers, 3,000 honoured guests, 6,000 family members and over 500,000 spectators from over 170 nations,” he stated.

Sponsors of the athletes to the Games that include Union Bank Plc, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Vigeo Holdings Limited, Channels Television, Phillips Consulting Limited, Nikky Taurus Nigeria Limited, Leadway Assurance Company Limited, OHO Investments Limited among others, assured SO Nigeria of their continuous supports in the coming years.

At the last World Games, which was the Winter Games held in 2017 at Austria, 22 athletes represented SO Nigeria and returned home with 12 Gold and 10 Silver medals. We are hopeful we will bring more medals home this year.

The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games will be the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world. It is expected to bring together 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches, 1,500 officials, 20,000 volunteers, 3,000 honored guests, 6,000 family members and over 500,000 thousand spectators from over 170 nations.

The Games also marks the culmination of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Special Olympics, and the beginning of the next fifty years of the inclusion movement.

We wish the athletes the very best in their travels and competition and will be supporting and cheering them on from here.

I would like to recognize our board members – those who are here and also those who couldn’t make it today.