ABU DHABI, Rear Admiral Pilot Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Commander of the UAE Naval Forces on Friday, attended the fourth Special Olympics “Walk Unified” event this afternoon at Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Zayed bin Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikha Roudha bint Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Saeed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan; other Sheikhs, and top officials, also attended along with members of the public.
Philip Parham, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the UAE, and number of the embassy staff also took part in the event.
Walk Unified is a weekly event that takes place every Friday from 3 � 6pm in Umm Al Emarat Park. The event aims to bring local communities together by encouraging them to adopt a healthy lifestyle and inclusiveness, supporting to integrate people with intellectual disabilities in community events as Abu Dhabi prepares to host the Special Olympics IX MENA Games from 14-22 March 2018 and Special Olympics World Games in March next year, which is set to be the biggest humanitarian and athletic movement in the world.
The Special Olympics IX MENA Games and World Games are part of the UAE’s National Vision 2021 that highlights the full integration of the people of determination into the community through the empowerment of sport. The Games will be the most ‘unified’ event in history and promise to offer an inclusive experience for those with and without intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics IX MENA Games 2018 will host over 1,200 athletes with and without intellectual disabilities in Abu Dhabi from 14 to 22 March this year, to compete in 16 different sports, which will be hosted in eight different venues including ADNEC, Zayed Sports City, Yas Marina Circuit, NYUAD, Officer’s Club, Mubadala IPC Arena, Al Jazira Sports Club and Al Forsan Club.
Source: Emirates News Agency