Rewriting History with the First Ever Pan African Regional Games Scheduled
The first ever Special Olympics Pan African Games will take place in Cairo Egypt, 23–31 January, 2020 under the patronage of HE Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Egyptian President.
This will be a joint event hosted by the Special Olympics Middle East North Africa and Africa regions, the first time two Special Olympics regions have come together in this way.
A Game of Firsts
“We stunned the world by hosting the first ever World Games in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi March 2019, and we continue to achieve the impossible and re-write history by hosting these games in Cairo” said Ayman Wahab, Regional President and Managing Director of Middle East/North Africa.
Approximately 750 athletes from 47 countries will compete in athletics, football (soccer), basketball and bocce.
The mission of the Pan African Games is to provide a high quality sports experience, and engage key influencers and communities to help create positive attitudes and bring about permanent change towards the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities throughout Africa.
Charles Nyambe, Regional President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Africa expressed his delight at the support for these historic Games. “This is monumental: a great opportunity for athletes in Africa to showcase their skills and personal best at a continental event. A once in a lifetime opportunity for some! The entire leadership of Special Olympics is very excited for us and looking forward to the Games, and the CEO, Mary Davis and several other leaders will be attending.”
Another first will be the Pan African Games focus on gender equality, with the ambitious goal of having 50–50 participation from both male and female athletes. In a continent where women and girls are often held back from participating fully in sports and achieving their full potential, Special Olympics Africa and Middle East North Africa want this effort to accelerate national commitments for fully inclusive societies.
Along with the athletic competitions, a range of activities will be offered such as Healthy Athletes screenings, a Youth Summit, Young Athletes and Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) demonstrations.
The logo for the Pan African games was recently unveiled showing the integrating of the map of Africa with the Special Olympics logo. Looking deeper, the face of a woman/man can be seen representing the first time that an even 50% ratio between female and male athletes will compete at an international event.
