DUBLIN, 20 June 2003 — Former South African President Nelson Mandela and boxing legend Muhammad Ali will be among a host of stars and dignitaries at tomorrow’s opening ceremony for 2003 Special Olympics, which takes place in Dublin from June 21-29.
Irish President, Mary McAleese, will also be present at the ceremony, which takes place in Croke Park, the home of Gaelic sports in Ireland, and features performances from U2, the Corrs and one of the largest Riverdance troups ever assembled.
Nearly 20,000 family members and supporters have traveled to Ireland for the 11th edition of the Games, which are being hosted outside the US for the first time since their inception in Chicago in 1968.
In what is considered the largest sporting event of the year, over 30,000 volunteers will look after the 7,000 athletes from over 160 international delegations who have been accommodated in 177 Host Towns throughout the country. The 2003 Games, which will cost Ireland 34 million euros ($40 million) to host, will be the largest sporting and cultural event ever staged in the country.
Among the competitive sports are aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian, football, golf, gymnastics, powerlifting, roller-skating, sailing, table tennis, tennis, team handball, and volleyball. There is a non-competitive motor activities program which puts emphasis on training and participation rather than on competition and three demonstration sports kayaking, judo and pitch and putt.
African athletes arriving for the Games from Ghana, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone encountered problems entering the country earlier in the week due to visa issues but organizers say all the teams will have arrived in Ireland by the end of the week.
Special Olympics, for children and adults with a learning disabilities, was founded in 1968 in the United States by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The organization has now grown to encompass over 160 countries worldwide and the World Games take place every four years.
