The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games ( ar, 2019 الألعاب الأولمبية الصيفية الخاصة بألعاب العالم الصيفية, ) were a
special olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...
multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
for athletes with
intellectual disabilities
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signif ...
in the tradition of the
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...
movement. It was held in
Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
from March 14–21, 2019.
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
offered international coverage of the games.
The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games was the first Special Olympics games to take place in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, were also the first to be held in winter/autumn in the host city and the largest sports and humanitarian event recorded, featuring 200 National Programs, more than 7,000 athletes and 20,000 registered volunteers.
Since 2017 and following its national policy, the United Arab Emirates coined the term "determination" instead of "
disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...
", referring to disabled people as "People of Determination".
Host selection
Three finalists were chosen from the countries which had submitted bids to host the games: Australia, Germany (which was chosen latter to host the 2023 Games), and South Africa. However, all three countries had withdrawn their bids by April 2015.
In November 2016,it was announced that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi would host the 2019 Summer Games. This was the first time that the Special Olympics were to be held in the Middle East / North Africa Region. Due to the region's extreme climate, the games were held during the local late winter/early spring season for the first time, from March 14–21, 2019.
Ceremonies
Opening Ceremony
It was held at
Zayed Sports City Stadium
Zayed Sports City Stadium ( ar, ستاد مدينة زايد الرياضية) is a multi-purpose stadium located in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The largest stadium in the UAE with 45,000 seats, it has iconic status and ...
which also held the
FIFA Club World Cup in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
and
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
and the
2019 AFC Asian Cup
The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...
.The headliners of the ceremonies included
Avril Lavigne,
Hussain Al Jassmi,
Assala Nasri
Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri ( ar, أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري; born 15 May 1969), commonly known as Assala ( ar, أصالة), is a Syrian musical artist. She is one of the most popular and famous Arab singers.
Early life and career ...
,
Tamer Hosny Tamer is a Turkish given name and surname. It means ''Competent soldier'' in Turkish. In Arabic (written as تامر), the name is more closely related to Tamr (as in dates).
Persons Given name
* Tamer Abdel Hamid, Egyptian football player
* Tamer ...
,
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mas ...
,
Sumi Jo
Sumi Jo, OSI (; ; born 22 November 1962) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her Grammy award-winning interpretations of the bel canto repertoire.
Life and career Early life and education
Jo was born Jo Su-gyeong in Chang ...
,
Now United
Now United (sometimes abbreviated as NU) is a global pop group, formed in Los Angeles in 2017 by '' Idols'' creator Simon Fuller. Originally, the group was consisted of 14 members from 14 countries; but as of 2022, the group consist of 19 member ...
, and
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being " Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee.
Fonsi received his first ...
.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony took place on 21 March 2019 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium where the Special Olympics flag was handed over from Abu Dhabi to
Jämtland County
Jämtland County ( sv, Jämtlands län, ) is a county or ''län'' in the middle of Sweden consisting of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two small uninhabited strips of ...
,
Sweden as the hosts of the
2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games
The 2022 Special Olympics World Winter Games (russian: Всемирные зимние игры Специальной Олимпиады 2022 г.) were a cancelled international multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities plann ...
. The headliners of the ceremonies were
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
,
Keala Settle,
Now United
Now United (sometimes abbreviated as NU) is a global pop group, formed in Los Angeles in 2017 by '' Idols'' creator Simon Fuller. Originally, the group was consisted of 14 members from 14 countries; but as of 2022, the group consist of 19 member ...
,
Hamad Al Ameri,
Rashed Al Majed and
Waleed Al Shami. Before the ceremonies the music video of the game's theme song "Right Where I'm Supposed To Be" by
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
,
Avril Lavigne,
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being " Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee.
Fonsi received his first ...
,
Hussain Al Jassmi,
Assala Nasri
Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri ( ar, أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري; born 15 May 1969), commonly known as Assala ( ar, أصالة), is a Syrian musical artist. She is one of the most popular and famous Arab singers.
Early life and career ...
and
Tamer Hosny Tamer is a Turkish given name and surname. It means ''Competent soldier'' in Turkish. In Arabic (written as تامر), the name is more closely related to Tamr (as in dates).
Persons Given name
* Tamer Abdel Hamid, Egyptian football player
* Tamer ...
was premiered.
Venues
Events were held at nine venues across two emirates:
Abu Dhabi
*
Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (commonly abbreviated ADNEC) is an exhibition centre in Abu Dhabi. It was opened by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates on February 18, 2007. It was designed ...
* Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club
* Al Forsan Resort
*
Corniche
A corniche is a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side and falling away on the other. The word has been absorbed into English from the French term ' or "road on a ledge", originally derived from the Itali ...
* Yas Links Golf Club
*
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina w ...
*
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
* Dubai Police Club Stadium
*
Hamdan Sports Complex
The Hamdan Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The arena was completed in summer 2010. It hosted the 2010 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), in which 153 countries participated. It also hosted the ...
Sports
The following competitions took place:
Medals
Medal Table
Nations
Participating nations
Marketing
Logo and branding
The logo was unveiled on March 25, 2017, during the handover at the closing ceremony of the
2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games
The 2017 Special Olympic World Winter Games (german: 2017 Special Olympics World Winterspiele) officially called 11th Special Olympics World Winter Games is a Special Olympics, a multi-sports event that was held in Austria from March 14 through Ma ...
in
Graz,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. The logo was projected on the
Burj Khalifa in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
. The logo was inspired by
palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
fronds woven together in an
eastern Arabian cultural technique known in
Gulf Arabic
Gulf Arabic ( ' local pronunciation: or ', local pronunciation: ) is a variety of the Arabic language spoken in Eastern Arabia around the coasts of the Persian Gulf in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, southern Iraq, eastern Sa ...
as ( ar, خوص), with the Special Olympics symbol in a red circle in the middle.
Sponsors
Source:
Presenting Partner
*
ADNOC
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ( ar, شركة بترول أبوظبي الوطنية) or ADNOC is the State-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the world's 12th largest oil company by production.
As of 2021, the compan ...
Official Partners
* ADNEC
*
Aldar Properties
* Al Masaood LLC (
Nissan)
*
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
* Abu Dhabi Department of Energy
*
Emaar Properties
Emaar Properties (Emaar Developments or simply Emaar) is an Emirati multinational real estate development company located in the United Arab Emirates. It is a public joint-stock company, listed on the Dubai Financial Market, and has a valuation o ...
*
Etihad Airways
*
Etisalat
*
First Abu Dhabi Bank
*
Mubadala Development Company
Mubadala Investment Company PJSC ( ar, شركة مبادلة للاستثمار), or simply Mubadala, is an Emirati state-owned holding company that acts as a sovereign wealth fund. The company was established in 2017 when then-named Mubadala Dev ...
Official Sponsors
*
Emirates Foundation
*
Lulu Hypermarket
LuLu Group International is an Indian Emirati-based multinational conglomerate company that operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 2000 by M. A. Yusuff Ali from ...
* Meydan
Nirvana Travel & Tourism*
NMC Health
* Noon
*
SoftBank
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the Vi ...
Official Suppliers
*
Abu Dhabi Global Market
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) is an international financial centre and free zone located on Al Maryah Island in the United Arab Emirates's capital, Abu Dhabi. The financial centre was established in 2013 and became fully operational in Octobe ...
*
Careem
Careem is a Dubai-based super app with operations in over 100 cities, covering 12 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia regions. The company, which was valued at over billion in 2018, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber ...
* CreatorUp!
*
Crescent Petroleum
* Daman
*
EF Education First
EF Education First (abbreviated as EF) is an international education company that specializes in language training, educational travel, academic degree programs, and cultural exchange. The company was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult in the Swe ...
*
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewat ...
*
Essilor
Essilor International is a French-based international ophthalmic optics company that designs, manufactures and markets lenses to correct or protect eyesight. Its headquarters is in Charenton-le-Pont (near Paris), France.
It is the world's larg ...
* Golisano Foundation
* iWire
*
KPMG
KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations.
Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...
*
Lions Clubs International
The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...
*
Marriott International
* Perfect Sense
* Pierce Footwear
* Prometheus Medical
*
Safilo Group
*
SAS Institute
SAS Institute (or SAS, pronounced "sass") is an American multinational developer of analytics software based in Cary, North Carolina. SAS develops and markets a suite of analytics software ( also called SAS), which helps access, manage, ana ...
* Starkey Hearing Foundation
*
Starkey Hearing Technologies
Starkey Hearing Technologies is an American privately owned company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota that makes hearing aids, and is one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world. As of 2019, the company had more than 5,000 employees ...
* Wicked
Official Supporters
* Al Sahraa
CYVIZ*
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...
*
Dubai Airports Company
Dubai Airports Company is the airport authority that owns and manages airports in Dubai, including the Al Maktoum International Airport and the Dubai International Airport.
History
Dubai Airports Company was structured in 2008 to take control of ...
*
Duracell
*
Emirates Palace
The Emirates Palace (Arabic: قصر الإمارات) is a luxury five star hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It has been operated by Mandarin Oriental as of 1 January 2020. The hotel project was launched in December 2001 and was initi ...
* Falcon Drones
* Flow Solutions
* Hadef and Partners
* Techno Solutions
* Khateb and Alami
* Liberty Sport
*
Riedel Communications
* SEDRA Foundation
*
Seiko
, commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...
* Salem Al Shueibi Jewelry
*
Transportation Management Services
A Transportation Management System (TMS) is a subset of supply chain management concerning transportation operations, of which may be part of an enterprise resource planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
A TMS usually "sits" between ...
*
SAP SE
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...
(Tyconz)
* Smart Design
* SmartKiosk
* Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs
Host, Broadcast, Media, Government and Venue Partners and Supporters
*
Abu Dhabi Media
* Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club
* Abu Dhabi Sports Council
* Al Forsan International Sports Resort
* Al Roya
*
Corniche (Abu Dhabi)
* Department of Culture and Tourism
*
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
*
Hamdan Sports Complex
The Hamdan Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The arena was completed in summer 2010. It hosted the 2010 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), in which 153 countries participated. It also hosted the ...
*
Seha
*
Sky News Arabia
Sky News Arabia (stylised as Sky News عربية) ( ar, سكاي نيوز عربية ') is an Arabic 24-hour rolling news channel broadcast mainly in the Middle East and North Africa. It is a joint venture between UK-based Sky Group and Abu Dha ...
*
The National (Abu Dhabi)
''The National'' is a private English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The newspaper is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and member of the ...
*
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
* Yas Links
*
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina w ...
*
Zayed Sports City
References
External links
Official website
{{S-end
Special Olympics World Summer Games
Special Olympics World Summer Games
2019 in Emirati sport
Multi-sport events in the United Arab Emirates
International sports competitions hosted by the United Arab Emirates
Sports competitions in Abu Dhabi