A big thank you
From Dublin, Inas Mazhar reports on the Special Olympics' closing ceremony which had the athletes dancing all the way home
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Egypt's disabled athletes made their mark in Dublin while Brazilians expressed their gratitude during the closing ceremony
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After 10 days of mostly fun and sometimes tears, the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games came to an end on Sunday with an outstanding closing ceremony at Dublin's Croke Park.
The ceremony was a final opportunity for Ireland to salute athletes, coaches, families and volunteers and reflect on the highlights of the Games and on the meaning of the Special Olympics, a movement founded in 1968 to promote physical fitness and social opportunities for the world's mentally disabled.
Ireland intended to send the athletes home dancing all the way from Croke Park. Just as the opening ceremony had focussed on the pageantry of the Games which were about to begin, the final chapter was a huge concert-style celebration of what had taken place.
As opposed to the previous 11 Games, this year's ceremony was held on a larger scale in an attempt to ensure there would be no anti-climax, just an opportunity to enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done. It also gave the athletes and everyone else a chance to say thank you to the volunteers who worked tirelessly over the duration of the Games.
The closing ceremony saw the official handing over to Japan and China. Japan will host the Special Olympics World Winter Games in 2005, while the next Summer Games will be held in China in 2007.
Irish President Mary McAleese officially closed the Games and extinguished the Special Olympics Torch, the Flame of Hope, which had been burning since it was lit in Greece at the beginning of the Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Entertainment during the evening was provided by chart- topping bands, including Westlife, Busted and Blue. The athletes' song, "May we never have to say good-bye", is now number one in the Irish pop charts.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was represented in the Games by 20 nations, 14 of which won medals. Egypt, which took part with 72 athletes in nine sports, led the regional table with 33 medals: 10 gold, 10 silver and 13 bronze medals.
Jordan and Kuwait shared second place, claiming 15 medals each.
Saudi Arabia equalled Egypt's tally of 10 gold medals but finished with only 12 medals overall.
Morocco collected 10 medals and Syria eight. And despite war and taking part with only a 10-man delegation, Iraq came away with three gold and three silver medals. Iraq had initially withdrawn from the Games because of the war. Its athletes arrived late aboard a specially chartered plane from Baghdad.
Magda Moussa, president of Special Olympics Egypt, said she was very pleased with the results of her "sons and daughters", as she calls them. "Of course I'm happy. The coaches did a great job with the athletes to achieve such remarkable results." Moussa said.
Moussa, who travelled with the Egyptian athletes to all the venues they played in Dublin, added she had enjoyed the Games tremendously. "The Games have shown us that people with learning disabilities have many talents that can be developed if they are given the chance. From what we have seen here, I think that these Games will help change the attitudes of those who deal with people suffering from learning disorders."
Ayman Abdel-Wahab, the regional managing director of the MENA region, said he was pleased with the results of the MENA nations in the Games. "We had the largest participation. Twenty nations took part, comprising around 400 athletes," said Abdel-Wahab. "But the most important thing was the participation, not the results."
Abdel-Wahab hoped that by the next Games in China 2007, the number of participants from the region would increase because of what he said was the tremendous growth anticipated in the MENA region.
Abdel-Wahab praised the organisation of the Irish. "They did an excellent job. They were so helpful and cooperative. Ireland wanted to prove to the world that it was capable of organising the most prestigious event in the world this year. It sent a message to Special Olympics International that they were right when they decided to take the Games outside the US for the first time in its 35-year history."
