Ashraf AboArafe
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Special Olympics teams concluded their participation in the Special Olympics World Games held in the German capital, Berlin, by achieving 25 medals (8 gold, 6 silver, and 11 bronze).
On the last day of the competitions, the Saudi Special Olympics team won the gold medal for volleyball competitions by defeating the Botswana national team with two sets (25-18) and (25-21), in the final match of the competitions that brought them together at the “Messi” sports center in the German capital, Berlin. The relay team snatched the gold in the 4 x 100-meter race, and Ziyad Al-Huwaish won the 400-meter race at the end of the athletics competitions that were held at the Olympic Village track.
The basketball team won the silver medal, while the women’s football team won the bronze medal, and the women’s handball team won the bronze medal, and Sarah Al-Wathinani won the gold medal for the judo competitions, and the player Zahraa Bu Obaid won the bronze medal for bowling, and the swimmer Muhannad Al-Madra’ won the medal. The silver came second in the “100m freestyle” race, and the swimmer Sarah Ghandoura won the bronze medal by achieving third place in the “100m freestyle” race. The foursome, Azhar Al Sinan, won 4 medals (silver and 3 bronze) in the weightlifting competitions, while Heba Ghorab won the bronze in badminton.
The head of the Saudi delegation to the tournament, Abdul Rahman Al-Quraishi, expressed his pride in what the players of the Saudi national teams achieved in the tournament, noting the support and attention given by the wise leadership to the sports sector in general and the Special Olympics in particular, appreciating His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz for attending the opening ceremony and meeting him. To the players and to prepare and provide all capabilities to achieve the desired results, and to His Royal Highness Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Federal Republic of Germany, for following up on the conditions of the mission, attending competitions and motivating the players, which had the greatest impact in supporting the players and achieving their achievements.
Al-Quraishi congratulated the male and female players of the Saudi national teams for achieving medals in the tournament, praising the members of the technical and administrative staff for the efforts they made during the preparation period as well as during the competitions. With the interest and follow-up of the President of the Saudi Special Olympics Federation, Dr. Maha Al-Juffali, to the competitions of the Saudi teams, and to work seriously to overcome the various obstacles that may face the Kingdom’s mission, consisting of 85 male and female players in 15 sports, in order to ensure the honorable representation of the Kingdom in this global forum.
