UAE won 73 medals at Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023

The UAE won 73 medals at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, including 18 gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 33 bronze medals. UAE had the largest delegation from the Middle East and North Africa region participating in the Games, which took place from June 17th to 25th. 167 individuals, including 72 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and 31 unified partners, competed in 20 sports.

A strong start to the Games

Special Olympics UAE athletes had a strong start on day one, securing multiple medals, including gold in gymnastics. Ghanem Al Memari and Nejood Binhidarah won gold medals in roller skating. Judo player, Roudha Al Ahbabi, won her first bronze in the 100-kilogram category, after intensive training under her Japanese coach, Koki Uchida. Zayed Al Kaabi, who participated in Berlin, won bronze in tennis.

Veteran swimmer Omar Al Shami secured first place and won the 200-meter freestyle gold medal, and Alia Al Muhairi won first place in the 25-meter freestyle event. Four other bronze medals were won by Special Olympics UAE swimmers across various events and powerlifting athletes also secured two bronze medals.

Asma Ali won gold and Hareb Anbar won bronze in athletics. In roller skating, Sayah Al-Habash won another gold medal, and Nejood Binhidarah finished fourth. Cycling athletes won two silvers and two bronzes. In equestrian sports, Mahra Al Kaabi came second and Mahmoud Jaroor won a silver medal in bocce.

Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Special Olympics UAE, said, “Special Olympics UAE athletes concluded their participation at the Berlin Games 2023 with an impressive medal tally that positions Special Olympics UAE as not only the largest delegation, but also the highest achieved among the MENA region.”

Al Mazrui added, “This remarkable success is the result of their dedicated work and preparations over the many months before the games. We are proud to dedicate this success to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is the foremost supporter of People of Determination and their inclusion in society. I also congratulate the athletes, their families, their coaches and all the support teams, and everyone who has contributed to this tremendous success, including the official team sponsor, ADNOC Group, and all strategic partners, and most importantly, H.H. Sheikha Maryam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Honorary Chair of Special Olympics UAE, for spearheading the program with exemplary vision.”

Talal Al Hashemi, National Director, Special Olympics UAE, and Head of the UAE delegation at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. He said, “Our athletes did us proud in Berlin and it was heartwarming to see the entire nation come forward and support them. I extend my gratitude to the official team sponsor, ADNOC Group, and to everyone who supported and encouraged our athletes, including the coaches, medics and delegation management staff, and the volunteers who were with us every step of the way. Our appreciation also belongs to the UAE Embassy in Germany and His Excellency Ambassador Ahmed Al-Attar and members of the UAE Mission. We appreciate their generosity and hospitality deeply felt from the first moment we arrived in Berlin. This had a significant impact on morale. Finally, special thanks to the athletes’ families who travelled to Germany to support our sons and daughters.”

Before the delegation headed to Berlin, ADNOC announced its sponsorship of the Special Olympics UAE delegation, through an MoU agreement. The collaboration aims to support Special Olympics UAE programs to empower athletes in various sports activities. This reflects positively on People of Determination in society.

Outstanding results in unified sports

Unified Partners had a strong presence at the World Games Berlin 2023. In bowling, the Special Olympics UAE unified team won a silver medal. The men’s doubles team won another silver medal, while the women’s doubles team won a bronze medal. In tennis, the women’s unified doubles team won a silver medal. In badminton, athletes Zakeya Al Maazmi and Hassan Al Balooshi won the gold medal, and the entire golf team won the silver medal.

In team competitions, the unified beach volleyball team (men) won the gold medal, and the international volleyball team (women) won the silver after a strong performance against India. The unified basketball team (men) won the gold medalafter an upbeat match against China.

On the sidelines of the Games, the UAE became a founding member of the International Global Leadership Coalition for Inclusion, a pioneering multilateral effort to support people with intellectual disabilities. Coalition members committed to supporting the expansion of inclusive sports and education opportunities to over 2 million young people in more than 150,000 schools and scaling Special Olympics programming to 180 nations.

Additionally, the Global Athlete Congress was held, where 60 global projects were presented. The Middle East and North Africa region participated in its activities with a presentation of 10 projects from the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Tunisia, and Kuwait. The project presented by the UAE focused on establishing unified clubs that include people of determination and their peers in 20 schools.