May 2009
Morocco
SO Morocco’s Third Phase of Local Games
With the participation of 193 athletes representing 12 associations from Tangier,
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HRH Princess Lalla Amina, Head of Special Olympics Morocco and Member of the International Advisory Committee with Nezha Bidouane Chairman of the “Women-Achievements & Values” association.
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Tetouane, Meknes and Tafilalet, SO Morocco held the third phase of the Local Games in the Moroccan city of Tangier.
This phased event followed its preceding two counterparts of the Moroccan national Games. Held during March and April, the first two phases came within the preparations for the Moroccan National Games, which will be held in the Moroccan city of Ifrane in 2010.
Parallel to the event, HRH Princess Lalla Amina, Head of Special Olympics Morocco and Member of the International Advisory Committee, supervised the ceremonies during which the winners of the “Al-Nasr” Ladies’ Race (second round) were honored. The race was organized by the “Women-Achievements & Values” association.
Chairman Nezha Bidouane of the association described the race as a valuable opportunity aimed at promoting the significance of sports among women, being one of the means by which social and vocational inclusion is achieved. In the same message, she didn’t miss to point out that the number of participants has reached 20 thousand contesters.
Jordan
600 Athletes Compete in SO Jordan’s 8th National Games
Under the patronage of HRH Prince Raad Bin Zaid, Royal Court’s Chief Chamberlain – President of SO Jordan, the 8th National Games of SO Jordan were launched, marking the Kingdom of Jordan’s Independence Day.
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HRH Prince Raad Bin Zaid, Royal Court’s Chief Chamberlain – President of SO Jordan and SOMENA Programs Development Manager Dr. Ali El Shawahin.
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Held at the courts of Jordan’s Paralympic Federation, the competitions involved 600 athletes representing thirty sports centers.
The Games were opened by HRH Prince Raad Bin Zaid, who delivered a speech in which he said: “It is of my utmost pleasure to be here among all of you today celebrating a precious occasion for us all, which is the Kingdom’s Independence Day. This occasion will always symbolize the glory and dignity of our nation.”
Prince Raad proceeded with his speech highlighting the role of sports in upbringing and qualifying healthy individuals and those with intellectual disabilities. In his note, he applauded the efforts SO Jordan has been exerting since it was founded in 1986 to provide opportunities for a vast scale of individuals to partake in sports training and competitions at the national, regional and global levels.
Prince Raad concluded his speech by expressing gratitude to all parties that contributed to the continuation of such an activity that aims at supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities, and vitalizing their contribution to their communities. He also thanked all athletes, volunteers and centers that partook in the event in celebration of Jordanian’s Independence Day.
The celebration began with the Jordanian national anthem, followed by a parade of the partaking teams and the torch run. Then the Games oath was delivered by one of the athletes.
The Games included competitions in floor hockey, track and field and bocce ball,
On another note, SOMENA Programs Development Manager Dr. Ali El Shawahin commended such championships for their contribution in enhancing the athletes’ performances and guiding them to more involvement in their communities. He concluded his statement by wishing for more competitions to furnish adequate opportunities for all athletes.
Emirates
100 Athletes in SO Emirates 3rd Festival
The activities of the 3rd festival of the SO UAE were concluded at the Army Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. Competing in swimming, bowling and cycling, 100 athletes from various
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Mohammad Fadel Al Hamely Chairman of SO UAE with the athletes.
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UAE clubs and special needs centers partook in the event.
On his part, Chairman Mohammad Fadel Al Hamely of SO UAE commended the athletes’ performance during the competitions saying it displayed remarkable progress.
On the same note, President Thani Belragad of SO UAE said that the ongoing upgrade and development of programs and activities offered to athletes, outline the main features of the SO UAE’s strategies.
National Director Majed Abdullah Al Osaimi of SO UAE also commented, saying the competitions organized within the festival will positively contribute to the upcoming regional and international participations. He highlighted that the outstanding improvement of the UAE athletes’ performance is an outcome of getting them familiar with the competitive environment of championships. Al-Osaimi concluded his statement confirming that such festivals serve as preparatory platforms to gear the athletes towards international standards.
Palestine
SO Palestine Hosted in Jericho Equestrian Club
Governor Kamel Hamed of Jericho opened the Culture and Entertainment Day that was held at the Jericho Equestrian Club for the SO Athletes. The event was held in coordination with Chairman SO Palestine Dr. Jamal Mehesan, National Director Nizar Baslat and Sports Director Ma’arouf Shatara.
Organized under the supervision of the Palestinian Equestrian Federation, 70 athletes from all parts of Palestine attended the event where they were received by the Governor who welcomed them in Jericho, and highly praised their will in overcoming their disabilities. The Palestinian official also highlighted the importance of sports in terms of the positive influence it has on an individual’s general well-being.
SO Palestine’s National Games
More than 150 athletes from various north governorates competed in various sports during the SO Palestine Annual National Games which were held at the “Martyr Salah Khalaf Abu Iyad” Center.
The event was attended by Dr. Jamal Al Mohaisen, Governor of Naples and Chairman of SO Palestine, Dr. Sami Mosalam, Governor of Tobas, and representatives of various Palestinian civil organizations.
The competitions lasted for three days and included Olympic events such as: track and field, football, shot put, table tennis, badminton and running.
Alongside the competitions, arts and sports demonstrations were delivered. At the conclusion of the Games, Dr. Mohaisen distributed honorary medals to organizations and figures supporting SO Palestine, and the trainers who handled and supervised the SO 6th Regional Games that was held in Abu Dhabi last November.
Yemen
Training Course for Athletics’ Trainers & Officials in Yemen
The International Training Course for preparing track and field trainers and officials was held at the Olympic Center in Sana’a. The course was organized by SO Yemen in collaboration with SOMENA during the period from May 16-18.
Twenty-five trainees representing six organizations partook in the training course, following the opening session that was attended by Assistant Undersecretary Abdel Hameed Al Saeedi of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Towards the end of the opening ceremonies, the Yemeni official commended the extensive concern laid by SO on the task of training officials and coaches, which he described as the main basis of sports’ upgrade.
Within the same note, he highlighted the extensive concern his ministry lays on SO
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SOMENA Sports and Competitions, Director Mohammad Nasser among the trainees.
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Yemen; especially after the recent achievements harvested at the regional and global levels.
SOMENA Sports and Competitions, Director Mohammad Nasser, who was among the course’s lecturers, pointed out the purpose of the course as a means by which to increase the number of SO Yemen’s trainers. Nasser also said the continuous increase in the number of athletes requires SO Yemen to lay due concern on the training aspects, in a manner that would ensure the availability of one trainer for every 4-6 athletes.
At the conclusion of the course, a limited tournament in track and field was held, where SO athletes competed in various sports. The aim of the tournament was to assess the effectiveness of the course on trainees.
Egypt
Distinctive Activity by SO Egypt
Athletes Medically Screened in Alexandria
”Ahaleena” 3rd Conference in Port Said
In collaboration with SOMENA, SO Egypt held a Healthy Athletes event in Alexandria. A
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Volunteers and doctors in a group shot .
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total of 250 SO athletes were medically screened in all of the program’s five disciplines: Healthy Hearing, Special Smiles, Opening Eyes, Health Promotion and Funfitness. The event was attended by SOMENA’s Healthy Athletes Manager Salma El Ghandour.
“Ahaleena” 2009
Held under the patronage of Governor Mostafa Abdel Latif of Port Said, the third time around of the “Ahaleena” conference was concluded, boasting great success.
Reflecting an exceptional fruitful cooperation between SO Egypt and SOMENA, the conference was attended by 170 families of SO Egypt athletes.
Advising the families on the means of supporting their children has been the aim of the conference since it was launched in its two preceding times. The agenda focused on providing the families with necessary information and knowledge that would enable them to achieve a high quality of communication with their intellectually disabled children.
The two-day agenda included a lecture delivered by SOMENA Initiatives Manager Nibal Fetouni who shed light on the activities and objectives of the SO Family Program and SO Family Support Network.
Another group of specialists also contributed to the conference through lectures they delivered in various disciplines such as delayed speech challenges, mental health, early intervention and social inclusion.
In relation to the conference activities, SOMENA Grants Manager Ahmad Qadry, who is in charge of upgrading the SO Egypt program, stated that in terms of its main objective, which is to provide utmost care to intellectually challenged athletes, the SO movement promotes special concern to the athletes’ families for being the cornerstone in the entire scheme of dealing with the athletes.
Saudi Arabia
16 Centers in SO Saudi Arabia Football Championship
The “Al Riyadh” Center SO football team won the Saudi Arabia SO Football 2008-2009
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Ibrahim Bin Ali Al Ali handing trophies and medals to the teams.
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championship after beating the “Jeddah” Center football team in the final match. The final match brought to an end a fiery football competition that involved 16 centers from all over the Kingdom.
Following the final match, the Advisor of HRH General President of Youth Welfare Ibrahim Bin Ali Al Ali, and Abdullah Soliman Chairman of the Resources Committee handed over trophies and medals to the teams in the first three rankings.
Ibrahim Bin Ali seized the crowning moment to extend congratulations to all of the teams that competed throughout the phases of the championship. He commended the high level performance displayed by all teams, which he described as a reflection of the ongoing support and concern, laid by HRH Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz and HRH Vice President Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz, of sports for the disabled.
Ibrahim Bin Ali also highlighted the championship as an opportunity which will enable the coaching body of the Kingdom’s SO football team to select the best athletes in preparation for the 2010 SO Football World Cup finals in South Africa.
Qatar
SO Qatar’s Athletes Honored
In a celebration held by SO Qatar marking the opening of its new Headquarters, the SO Qatari athletes who participated in the Abu Dhabi 2008 Sixth Regional Games and the Idaho 2009 SO World Winter Games were honored by the State.
During the celebration, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Saoud Al Thani addressed the athletes with appreciation and thanked them for their sincere performance and ongoing pursuit for dignifying their country’s name through all of the contests they partake in. He also expressed his pleasure over the distinguished ethical attitude and sportsmanship the athletes have been displaying throughout all of their appearances.
Libya
250 Athletes in SO Libya’s National Games
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Badminton competitions witnessed the participation of a large number of athletes.
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SO Libya’s National Games concluded in Gouadim, with the participation of 250 athletes representing eight centers and clubs from the west region.
Chairman Khaled Al Requaiby of SO Libya and board members attended the games which included competitions in bocce, badminton, football and track and field.
Professors from USA’s Kinsau University also attended the games and witnessed the crowning ceremonies of the winners.