A delegation of representatives from several Special Olympics World Games teams, who are in Abu Dhabi to take part in the largest sports and humanitarian event of 2019, were treated to a comprehensive tour around the emirate on Saturday, March 9, to showcase its world-class cultural and touristic credentials.
Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the tour showcasing the very best of what the emirate has to offer included representatives from 39 of the competing nations and included visit to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn and the Cultural Foundation, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Majlis Al Mushrif, Emirates Park Zoo and Heritage Village, and also UAE University, Hili Park and Al Ain Zoo in Al Ain.
The athletes also visited schools across the emirate on their tour, as part of the ‘Adopt a Nation’ programme. The programme has paired schools across the emirate with countries participating in the Special Olympics, providing a platform to engage students with the Games by promoting the study of the values and cultures of the competing nations.
The Abu Dhabi edition of the Special Olympics World Games, which is being held in the MENA region for the very first time, will feature 7,500 athletes competing in 24 sports categories, with record-breaking participation from 192 countries, making these Games the most unified ever in the 50-year history of the Special Olympics.
