Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – Guided by the aim to reach out to every child with special needs across the country, the establishment of the Syrian Special Olympics was founded to organize the efforts exerted in this regard after Syria joined the program of the International Special Olympics in 1993.
Only recently, the establishment held a local championship which brought together 600 athletes from 12 provinces to compete in 17 various games, with the number of the members of the organizing committee, jury and trainers amounting to 800, according to the national director of establishment Talal Baniyeh.
Speaking to SANA reporter, Barniyeh noted that the championship, which was held on September 14-16, followed six months of work and preparations.
He explained that a variety of activities and trips to the provinces were carried out with the aim “to reactivate the role of the Special Olympics and pay the necessary attention and care to those with special needs.”
What was remarkable about the championship, as Sports Director at the establishment Bassel al-Durra pointed out, was that it attracted a big turnout of participants as well as volunteers who want to join the Olympics teams.
Al-Durra told SANA reporter that part of its activities the establishment will soon embark on intensive training courses for all the cadres to upgrade the level of organizational and administrative work, in addition to holding specialized courses for trainers in preparation to take part in international events.
Among those events, al-Durra noted, are the 8th Regional Special Olympic Games which will be hosted in Egypt at the end of 2014 and the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015.
It is worth mentioning that Syria hosted the SOMENA 7th Regional Games in September 2010, which witnessed the participation of 2005 athletes from 23 countries. The competitions covered 15 games.
The Establishment of Syrian Special Olympics works on an array of rehabilitation programs for children with special needs who are to join the Olympics.
Saleh Saleh, Initiatives Director at the establishment, cited a number of those programs, including those which target kids and prepare them to join the Olympics at the age of 8 and others which deal with children with severe disabilities.
Saleh told SANA reporter that there are other programs which aim at boosting communication with the families of children with special needs, in addition to those specialized in qualification of leaders and health rehabilitation.
Organizing open sports days is a remarkable type of activity that the establishment makes sure to hold on a regular basis in various provinces with the aim to strengthen ties between the children and their families and open channels of communication among the civil associations concerned with children with special needs.
Haifa Said
