The 2023 Special Olympics World Games, the world’s largest inclusive sporting event, was officially opened on Saturday night at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
This year’s edition will see over 6,500 Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners (those athletes without intellectual disabilities) from 176 delegations united in taking the Special Olympics oath promising, ‘Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’
The Games will be held from 18 to 25 June 2023 at different sporting venues across Berlin and Namibia is represented in three sports codes, namely athletics, cycling and 3x3 basketball.
Officially opening the games, President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the Special Olympics World Games are set to change the world’s view on disability and will bring the people together.
“This is very much about sports, but of course not only, about sports, inclusion and participation. That's why I'm quite sure that we, as a society, can learn a great deal beyond the sport that we'll be seeing over the next week. Not only that people with disabilities have something to gain from inclusion, but that we as a society also become richer when we live in inclusion,” Steinmeier said.
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver also expressed his happiness for seeing athletes gathered in one place after years of not being together.
“We’ve been away from each other for too long. You know what it’s like to be isolated and to be told don’t come out. You are the experts in turning every form of pain and trauma into triumph. Your smiles are shining as bright as the stars tonight. I couldn’t be prouder of all of you. To the world, I challenge you, if you are searching for a reason to believe, come to Berlin and see how we overcome,” Shriver said.
Namibia’s track and field athletes are expected to start competing on Sunday in the Level A 1500 metre (m) and Level A 200m.
Finamekeni Hamutenya will compete in the men’s Level A, H3 1500m quarterfinals while Louise Sagaria will compete in the women’s Level A, H1 200m quarterfinals.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency