ATHENS WILL be the focus of some welcome attention for the next 10 days as this year’s Special Olympics World Summer Games kick off at a ceremony in the Greek capital tonight.
Billed as one of the biggest sporting events in the world this year, the biennial event will be officially opened at the Panathinaiko stadium in Athens. Better known to Greeks as the Kallimarmaro or “beautifully marbled”, the 45,000-seater stadium hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Legendary soul singer Stevie Wonder will be performing at the opening ceremony.
The games, which run until July 4th, will bring 7,000 athletes, 2,500 coaches and 40,000 family members from 180 countries to Greece, where 25,000 volunteers will assist them.
Team Ireland consists of 126 athletes, representing all 32 counties, and 49 coaches, making it the 10th largest delegation to this summer’s games.
The team will participate in 12 different sports: aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, bocce, bowling, equestrian, football, golf, gymnastics, kayaking and table tennis.
Upon their arrival in Athens on Monday, the Irish team travelled on to the Dodecanese island of Rhodes, where they were the guests of the local community as part of the Special Olympics host town programme, a legacy of the 2003 games held in Ireland.
With average daily temperatures in Greece now well over 30 degrees, the time in Rhodes allowed the team to acclimatise.
The Irish athletes returned to Athens yesterday afternoon, after a 14-hour journey by ferry, and were then taken to four different accommodation venues.
Speaking yesterday, Matt English, chief executive of Special Olympics Ireland, said the main objective was for the team members “to enjoy the experience”.
“This is a unique opportunity for them to compete at the highest possible level,” he said, “and a huge personal honour to represent their country”.
Describing the mood among the Irish delegation a day before the opening of the games, volunteer Pat Kickham said that it was a mix of enthusiasm and delight “with a degree of apprehension”. Mr Kickham also praised the preparatory work carried out by members of the small but vibrant Irish community in Athens as “incredible”.
“They’ve come out in force to help us and have even produced a guidebook to help us around Athens,” he said.
Special Olympics Ireland also says that over 400 family members are in Athens to support the Irish team.
Yesterday Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring flew out to Athens to give his backing to the Irish team.
Yesterday evening, the Irish delegation was hosted at a reception sponsored by businessman Denis O’Brien, chairman of the council of patrons of Special Olympics Ireland.
Among those present, to the delight of the delegation, was former Irish international rugby player Keith Wood.