Dina Galal has been named global messenger for athletes with intellectual disabilities in Special Olympics Middle East and North Africa (SO MENA). Global messengers represent a region in major sports championships. They are also drilled on the Special Olympics mission statement. Galal, 34, represented the MENA region in the Texas 2003 and Tunis Athlete Leadership Programme of 2004 held on the sidelines of the 4th MENA Regional Games. In October last year, Galal was chosen to take part in the International Global Messenger training session in North Carolina where members are trained on speech, lobbying techniques, etiquette and media. The aim of the training was to prepare Galal to become a member of the board of directors of SO Egypt. "It is very nice to represent your region everywhere abroad," Galal told Al-Ahram Weekly. Galal will also represent the SO MENA region in the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan at the end of this month. In the meantime she continues to work with the SO MENA head office as a secretary. Galal's parents knew from day one that she had Down's syndrome. "But Down's syndrome patients are luckier than other mentally disabled people because you know from the first minute, and you can deal quickly with the situation," Fatma, Dina's mother, said. Dina's father Dr Galal, a bone surgeon, agreed. "But we needed the help of society, the neighbours and family members. Dina benefited from that." At four, Galal joined special classes in Ramses College, then at 14 went to El-Haqq Fi Al-Haya Society (The Right to Live). Mother Fatma was one of 12 members in the society. There she went into rehabilitation and started to play sports. She played shotput in the Lebanon Arab Games for the disabled. In 1995, Ashraf Marie from Special Olympics Egypt chose her to join the Special Olympics Egypt (SOE) programme. Galal participated in the 1995 Connecticut World Games. Adoring reading and writing, Galal was very good at expressing herself. "I love to read and write stories on my computer," she said. Special Olympics has changed Galal's life. "She became very open to the world and very self-dependent," her mother said. "Dealing with able-bodied people and having friends made Dina very happy. It took her to the outside world where she is sharing feelings of love and friendship."
