The activities of the Special Olympics Saudi Games, organized by the Saudi Special Olympics Federation, in cooperation with the Saudi Sports for All Federation, concluded on Saturday at the Sports for All Dome in Dammam, with the participation of 93 male and female players representing 7 clubs from various regions of the Kingdom.
Competitions were held in 4 sports, including five-a-side football, three-way basketball, handball skills, and bocce, according to the regulations and divisions approved in the Special Olympics.
The men's five-a-side football competition resulted in Efaa Club achieving first place, Al-Ahsa Club coming in second place, Al-Rass Club coming in third place, and Ifada Club coming in fourth place.
In the women's competition, Efaa Club achieved first place.
In men's triple basketball, the Jeddah Club came in first place, the Medina Club came in second place, the Efaa Club came in third place, while Al-Ahsa Club came in fourth place, and the Efada Club came in fifth place.
In the women's competitions, the Efaa Club achieved first place, and Al-Ahsa Club came in second place.
In the men's handball skills competition, Al-Ahsa Club achieved first place, Efaa Club came in second place, Al-Rass Club came in third place, while Ifada Club came in fourth place.
Talal Al-Humaidan, Director of Communications and Partnerships at the Saudi Special Olympics Federation, praised the cooperation with the Saudi Sports for All Federation in holding the games, stressing that the success of the regional games experience last year, and the expansion this year to hosting the games at the national level, reflects the value of the partnership and its impact on developing sports competitions and enhancing the participation of Special Olympics clubs from various regions of the Kingdom.
Al-Humaidan expressed his aspiration to continue the partnership and hold more editions of the games in the coming years, noting that cooperation between the two federations serves a common national goal of raising the percentage of people practicing sports in the Kingdom, and expanding sports participation opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The activities accompanying the Games included the implementation of 164 medical examinations within the Healthy Players Programme, led by two certified health managers from Special Olympics International, Dr. Jinan Mahfouz in the specialty of oral and dental health, and specialist Ali Al-Omrani in the specialty of physical therapy, with the aim of enhancing the health of the players and early detection of health challenges.
The games also witnessed the establishment of a parents’ forum, which addressed the definition of the program, its objectives, and its role in enhancing communication with the families of male and female players.
These games come within the efforts of the Saudi Special Olympics Federation to implement its 2024-2028 strategy, which aims to build a comprehensive, healthy society through sports, by expanding the base of practitioners of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and enhancing their opportunities for participation in sports activities and competitions, in a way that supports the development of a comprehensive and sustainable sports system in the Kingdom.
