TURIN: The 12th Special Olympics World Winter Games, held in Italy, ‘Turin 2025’, kicked off on Sunday with the official opening ceremony at the Turin Olympic Stadium, with the participation of the Sultanate of Oman.
The opening ceremony included many sports, light and singing shows, a march by 106 athletes from the participating teams from around the world, and the entry of the torch, which ended its journey by lighting the cauldron, marking the official start of the Winter World Games.
The Oman Special Olympics delegation is participating in 3 different winter sports, 6 male and female players with intellectual disabilities, 6 coaches and 4 administrators. The list of players includes Salem al Ghafri and Ameera al Raisi in snow running, Al Baraa al Battashi and Nabaa al Harthy in cross-country skiing, and Hussam al Amri and Retaj al Salmi in speed skating.
Dr Amal al Qatiti, member of the Board of Directors of the Special Olympics Oman and head of the mission, said: This is a suitable opportunity for different players by integrating them into the world, which is one of the main goals of gaining experience through interaction. She added that the Special Olympics movement focuses on purely humanitarian work, using sports to serve people with intellectual disabilities and contribute to rehabilitation.
The current edition of the World Winter Games includes 8 winter sports, till March 16, with the participation of 1,500 male and female players with intellectual disabilities from 102 countries.
Earlier, the Omani athletes were trained at Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Snow Centres across Oman and the UAE, joining teams from the UAE and Egypt in their preparations. A significant boost to the programme came with the launch of the Special Olympics UAE Snow Sport Team Development Strategy in October 2023, which outlined a four-stage roadmap (Outsourcing, Recognition, Team Formation and Continuity) to ensure long-term sustainability.
This initiative led to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Majid Al Futtaim and Special Olympics UAE in January 2024 during the FIS World Snow Day celebrations. — ONA
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