Pakistan to send 92 athletes to Special Olympics

KARACHI: A total of 92 athletes, 55 male and 37 female, will represent Pakistan in Special Olympics Summer World Games 2019 to be held in Abu Dhabi from March 8-21.

This contingent of Special Olympics Pakistan (SOP) will be participating in 10 sports. They will be accompanied by 27 coaches. Out of 24 sports disciplines, Pakistani players will take part in athletics, badminton, basketball, bocce, cycling, football, power-lifting, swimming, table tennis, and tennis.

Also, two youth teams from SOP will attend the 2019 Global Youth Leadership Summit in Abu Dhabi from March 13-19.“Each Team comprises an Athlete Leader, Unified Partner and Mentor,” said National Director SOP Daniyal Alvi while talking to ‘The News’.

The UAE’s capital will stage the most unified Special Olympics World Games in the history of the Special Olympics. Pakistan joined the Special Olympics movement in 1989 with around 20 registered athletes.

The organisation now has over 28,000 registered athletes and more than 750 coaches. SOP operates by holding trainings and competitions across the country, with its head office in Karachi and regional offices in Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.

It also has a presence in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. “We invite all companies and corporations to identify their organisations with this great international event by sponsoring an athlete or a team,” said Daniyal.