Khaled Abdel-Aziz, the sports minister, has said that the eighth Special Olympics of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) was the first sports event that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi had agreed to be held under his patronage “due to the great support and care he gives to intellectually disabled athletes. “It is a great honour for Egypt to host such an event,” Abdel-Aziz told a press conference. “His Excellency issued directives that all the needs of the Egyptian intellectually disabled team should be met in addition to removing all obstacles facing the delegation. These players are part of the Egyptian society and they have equal rights that should be taken care of.” The championship will be inaugurated on International Disability Day, 3 December, and will continue to 10 December in Cairo Stadium. “It is a great challenge that Egypt will play host to the event after 16 years of absence and in such an unstable security situation,” Ayman Abdel-Wahab, MENA president and regional director, said. “But almost all the MENA region countries appreciated the choice and the championship will witness the attendance of 15 countries. We want to send a message to the entire world through our athletes that Egypt is safe and secure and welcomes all its visitors at any time.” Amal Mobada, SO Egypt national director, said that in this year's edition, the Games will witness competition in 16 sports for the first time in the history of the Games since its inauguration in 1999 in Cairo. Mobada added that the Egyptian delegation is the biggest as it is entering with two teams, one for women and one for men. She said a number of sports will witness unified teams including football, handball, basketball and volleyball. The sports included are athletics, swimming, cycling, table tennis, floor tennis, Bocci, bowling, equestrianship, volleyball, handball, basketball, badminton, skiing, weightlifting, soccer and gymnastics. The Egyptian delegation comprises 253 participants competing in the seven-day competition. Two weeks ago, Al-Sisi named Abdel-Wahab to his presidential advisory board on community development. Tasked with dealing with social problems, Abdel-Wahab will serve as the president's community development expert. Egypt's Community Development Board is composed of specialised scholars, professors, experts and youth leaders in various social and community realms, ranging from architecture and urban development to literature and social sciences, education and journalism. The board works to solve negative social phenomena in Egypt.
