The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games (Arabic: 2019 الألعاب الأولمبية الصيفية الخاصة بألعاب العالم الصيفية, 2019 al'aleab al'uwlimbiat alsayfiat alkhasat bi'aleab alealam alsayfia) were theh 15th summer Special Olympics, a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities in the tradition of the Special Olympics movement. It was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 14–21, 2019.[1] ESPN offered international coverage of the Games.[2]
 | |
| Host city | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|
| Motto | Meet the Determined (Arabic: تلبية العزم) |
| Nations | 195 |
| Athletes | 7,500 |
| Events | 22 sports |
| Opening | 14 March 2019 |
| Closing | 21 March 2019 |
| Opened by | Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Main venue | Zayed Sports City Stadium |
| Website | Official website |
| Summer | |
| Winter | |
The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games was the first Special Olympics event to take place in the Middle East, and were also the first to be held in spring in the host city, and the largest sports and humanitarian event recorded, featuring 200 National Programs, more than 7,000 athletes and 20,000 registered volunteers.[3] Since 2017 and following its national policy, the United Arab Emirates coined the term "determination" instead of "disability", referring to disabled people as "People of Determination".[3]
Host selection
editThree finalists were chosen from the countries which had submitted bids to host the Games: Australia, Germany (which was later chosen to host the 2023 Games), and South Africa.[4] However, all three countries had withdrawn their bids by April 2015.
In November 2016, it was announced that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi would host the 2019 Summer Games. This was the first time that the Special Olympics were to be held in the Middle East / North Africa Region. Due to the region's extreme climate, the Games were held during the local late winter/early spring season for the first time, from March 14–21, 2019.[5]
Ceremonies
editOpening ceremony
edit
The closing ceremony took place on 14 March 2019 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium, which also held the FIFA Club World Cup in 2017 and 2018 and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The headliners of the ceremonies included Avril Lavigne, Hussain Al Jassmi, Assala Nasri, Tamer Hosny, Paul Oakenfold, Sumi Jo, Now United, and Luis Fonsi.
Closing ceremony
editThe closing ceremony took place on 21 March 2019 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium where the Special Olympics flag was handed over from Abu Dhabi to Jämtland County, Sweden as the hosts of the 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The headliners of the ceremonies were Nicole Scherzinger, Keala Settle, Now United, Hamad Al Ameri, Rashed Al Majed and Waleed Al Shami. Before the ceremonies, the music video of the Games' theme song "Right Where I'm Supposed To Be" by Ryan Tedder, Avril Lavigne, Luis Fonsi, Hussain Al Jassmi, Assala Nasri and Tamer Hosny was premiered.
Venues
editEvents were held at nine venues across two emirates:[6]
Abu Dhabi
edit- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre - badminton, basketball, bocce, gymnastics, handball, judo, powerlifting, roller skating, table tennis, volleyball
- Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club - kayaking, sailing
- Al Forsan Resort - equestrian
- Corniche - beach volleyball
- Yas Links Golf Club - golf
- Yas Marina Circuit - cycling, triathlon
- Zayed Sports City - ceremonies, bowling, football, tennis
Dubai
edit- Police Officers' Club Stadium - athletics
- Hamdan Sports Complex - swimming
Sports
editThe following competitions took place:[7]
| 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games |
|---|
|
Medals
editMedal table
editUnlike the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Special Olympics do not provide an official medal table, since there is supposed to be no competitive pressure among the nations. Apart from the medals and placement ribbons, participants who were disqualified or did not finish their competition were also awarded with participation ribbons in order to promote sportsmanship.
Nations
edit* Host nation (United Arab Emirates)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canada | 90 | 37 | 28 | 155 |
| 2 |  Russia | 87 | 51 | 34 | 172 |
| 3 |  India | 72 | 99 | 95 | 266 |
| 4 |  United States | 72 | 61 | 70 | 203 |
| 5 |  United Arab Emirates* | 64 | 54 | 63 | 181 |
| 6 |  Great Britain | 63 | 57 | 49 | 169 |
| 7 |  China | 58 | 60 | 39 | 157 |
| 8 |  Hong Kong | 45 | 24 | 20 | 89 |
| 9 |  Australia | 42 | 44 | 55 | 141 |
| 10 |  South Korea | 42 | 26 | 28 | 96 |
| 11 |  Germany | 41 | 43 | 28 | 112 |
| 12 |  Syria | 36 | 44 | 24 | 104 |
| 13 |  Hungary | 31 | 25 | 12 | 68 |
| 14 |  Netherlands | 31 | 18 | 19 | 68 |
| 15 |  Ireland | 30 | 29 | 27 | 86 |
| 16 |  Egypt | 30 | 25 | 24 | 79 |
| 17 |  Poland | 30 | 21 | 19 | 70 |
| 18 |  Greece | 27 | 20 | 17 | 64 |
| 19 |  Belgium | 24 | 21 | 22 | 67 |
| 20 |  Libya | 24 | 21 | 15 | 60 |
| 21 |  Chinese Taipei | 23 | 21 | 8 | 52 |
| 22 |  Bangladesh | 22 | 9 | 6 | 37 |
| 23 |  Italy | 21 | 41 | 45 | 107 |
| 24 |  South Africa | 20 | 12 | 12 | 44 |
| 25 |  Pakistan | 18 | 28 | 15 | 61 |
| 26 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 18 | 15 | 23 | 56 |
| 27 |  Saudi Arabia | 18 | 9 | 13 | 40 |
| 28 |  Cyprus | 17 | 19 | 10 | 46 |
| 29 |  Romania | 17 | 18 | 21 | 56 |
| 30 |  Puerto Rico | 17 | 16 | 21 | 54 |
| 31 |  Uruguay | 17 | 14 | 12 | 43 |
| 32 |  Spain | 16 | 23 | 25 | 64 |
| 33 |  Costa Rica | 16 | 13 | 23 | 52 |
| 34 |  France | 16 | 12 | 15 | 43 |
| 35 |  Bahrain | 16 | 12 | 11 | 39 |
| 36 |  Mexico | 16 | 11 | 21 | 48 |
| 37 |  Lithuania | 16 | 8 | 4 | 28 |
| 38 |  Sudan | 16 | 7 | 4 | 27 |
| 39 |  Thailand | 15 | 12 | 6 | 33 |
| 40 |  Japan | 15 | 10 | 18 | 43 |
| 41 |  Panama | 14 | 17 | 17 | 48 |
| 42 |  Macau | 14 | 12 | 22 | 48 |
| 43 |  Iran | 14 | 12 | 10 | 36 |
| 44 |  Uzbekistan | 14 | 9 | 16 | 39 |
| 45 |  Jamaica | 14 | 9 | 8 | 31 |
| 46 |  Finland | 13 | 21 | 13 | 47 |
| 47 |  Austria | 13 | 18 | 21 | 52 |
| 48 |  Sweden | 13 | 14 | 4 | 31 |
| 49 |  Tunisia | 13 | 10 | 11 | 34 |
| 50 |  Ivory Coast | 13 | 4 | 13 | 30 |
| 51 |  Oman | 12 | 19 | 17 | 48 |
| 52 |  Slovakia | 12 | 17 | 6 | 35 |
| 53 |  Iraq | 12 | 16 | 18 | 46 |
| 54 |  Switzerland | 12 | 15 | 13 | 40 |
| 55 |  Morocco | 12 | 13 | 22 | 47 |
| 56 |  Malta | 12 | 13 | 15 | 40 |
| 57 |  Kazakhstan | 12 | 11 | 11 | 34 |
| 58 |  Kenya | 12 | 8 | 5 | 25 |
| 59 |  Colombia | 11 | 20 | 10 | 41 |
| 60 |  Cayman Islands | 11 | 6 | 8 | 25 |
| 61 |  Denmark | 10 | 22 | 20 | 52 |
| 62 |  Paraguay | 10 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| 63 |  Czech Republic | 10 | 7 | 4 | 21 |
| 64 |  Indonesia | 10 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
| 65 |  Algeria | 9 | 15 | 13 | 37 |
| 66 |  Estonia | 9 | 14 | 6 | 29 |
| 67 |  Philippines | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 |
| 68 |  Nigeria | 9 | 10 | 7 | 26 |
| 69 |  Venezuela | 9 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| 70 |  Iceland | 8 | 14 | 12 | 34 |
| 71 |  Lebanon | 8 | 11 | 9 | 28 |
| 72 |  Brazil | 8 | 9 | 2 | 19 |
| 73 |  Norway | 8 | 7 | 10 | 25 |
| 74 |  Gibraltar | 8 | 7 | 3 | 18 |
| 75 |  San Marino | 8 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| 76 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 8 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 77 |  Ecuador | 7 | 14 | 11 | 32 |
| 78 |  Dominican Republic | 7 | 14 | 9 | 30 |
| 79 |  Kuwait | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 |
| 80 |  Portugal | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| 81 |  Jordan | 6 | 13 | 14 | 33 |
| 82 |  Monaco | 6 | 12 | 14 | 32 |
| 83 |  Azerbaijan | 6 | 10 | 8 | 24 |
| 84 |  Peru | 6 | 8 | 5 | 19 |
| 85 |  Suriname | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| 86 |  Ukraine | 6 | 5 | 3 | 14 |
| 87 |  Fiji | 6 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| 88 |  Argentina | 6 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| 89 |  Bahamas | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
 Zimbabwe | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 | |
| 91 |  New Zealand | 5 | 13 | 14 | 32 |
| 92 |  Serbia | 5 | 10 | 4 | 19 |
| 93 |  Palestine | 5 | 6 | 13 | 24 |
| 94 |  Malaysia | 5 | 6 | 3 | 14 |
| 95 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| 96 |  Timor-Leste | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 97 |  Nicaragua | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 98 |  Guinea-Bissau | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 99 |  Guatemala | 4 | 8 | 11 | 23 |
| 100 |  Bulgaria | 4 | 7 | 8 | 19 |
| 101 |  Israel | 4 | 6 | 9 | 19 |
| 102 |  Mauritius | 4 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| 103 |  Senegal | 4 | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 104 |  Singapore | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 105 |  Luxembourg | 4 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
| 106 |  Qatar | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| 107 |  Montenegro | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 108 |  Latvia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 109 |  Uganda | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 110 |  Turkmenistan | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 111 |  Tanzania | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 112 |  Slovenia | 3 | 13 | 8 | 24 |
| 113 |  Burkina Faso | 3 | 9 | 8 | 20 |
| 114 |  Croatia | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 115 |  Isle of Man | 3 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| 116 |  Cuba | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| 117 |  Chile | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| 118 |  Aruba | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 119 |  Dominica | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 120 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 121 |  Tajikistan | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 122 |  North Macedonia | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 123 |  Barbados | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 124 |  Liberia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 125 |  Mongolia | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| 126 |  Liechtenstein | 2 | 7 | 6 | 15 |
| 127 |  Andorra | 2 | 7 | 3 | 12 |
| 128 |  Botswana | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 129 |  Bonaire | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 130 |  El Salvador | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 131 |  Rwanda | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 132 |  Samoa | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 133 |  Cambodia | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
 Faroe Islands | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | |
| 135 |  Papua New Guinea | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 136 |  Benin | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
 Malawi | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
 Sri Lanka | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| 139 |  Georgia | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
 Guinea | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 141 |  Niger | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 142 |  Belarus | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
 Cape Verde | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
 Tonga | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 145 |  Saint Lucia | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 146 |  Yemen | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 147 |  Congo | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 148 |  Laos | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 149 |  South Sudan | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 150 |  Armenia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 151 |  Kiribati | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 153 |  Honduras | 1 | 6 | 6 | 13 |
| 154 |  Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 155 |  Myanmar | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 156 |  Togo | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 157 |  Brunei | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 158 |  Afghanistan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
 Antigua and Barbuda | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 160 |  Zambia | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 161 |  Bolivia | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 162 |  American Samoa | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 163 |  Bhutan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 Haiti | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
 Mali | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
 Moldova | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
 Nauru | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
 Nepal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 169 |  Lesotho | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Maldives | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
 Seychelles | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
 Solomon Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
 Vanuatu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 174 |  Eswatini | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
 Kosovo | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 176 |  Burundi | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 Namibia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 178 |  DR Congo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 180 |  Bermuda | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 181 |  Guyana | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 182 |  Federated States of Micronesia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 183 |  Comoros | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 184 |  Madagascar | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 185 |  Djibouti | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Mauritania | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Palau | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Vietnam | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 189 |  Marshall Islands | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 190 |  Chad | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Ethiopia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 192 |  Gambia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Mozambique | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Turkey | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 195 |  Albania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals (195 entries) | 1,985 | 1,905 | 1,752 | 5,642 | |
Participating nations
editBelow is a list of all 195 participating delegations. The number of competitors per delegation is indicated in parentheses.
Marketing
editLogo and branding
editThe logo was unveiled on March 25, 2017, during the handover at the closing ceremony of the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Graz, Austria. The logo was projected on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The logo was inspired by palm fronds woven together in an eastern Arabian cultural technique known in Gulf Arabic as khoos (Arabic: خوص), with the Special Olympics symbol in a red circle in the middle.[11]
Corporate sponsorship
edit| Sponsors of the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games[12] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Presenting Partner | |||
Official Partners
| |||
Official Sponsors
| |||
Official Suppliers
| |||
Official Supporters
|
References
edit- ↑ Staff Report (16 November 2016). "Abu Dhabi to host 2019 Special Olympic World Games".
- ↑ Couch, Teri (2019-03-18). "Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019: Monday, March 18". ESPN MediaZone U.S. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
- 1 2 Jerusalem Post (9 March 2019). "United Arab Emirates to be First in Middle East to Host Special Olympics".
- ↑ "2019 Special Olympics World Games Finalists Announced". Special Olympics (specialolympics.org). Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ↑ "World Games in MENA for the First Time". specialolympics.org.
- ↑ "Venues". English. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
- ↑ "Home". abudhabi2019.org.
- ↑ "Delegations". 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games. 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee, ESPN, Special Olympics. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ↑ "Athlete Directory".
- ↑ "Award/Achievement". Special Olympics Indonesia. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ↑ "Abu Dhabi Launches Countdown to Special Olympics World Games 2019". broadwayworld.com. 27 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ↑ "Sponsors". Archived from the original on 3 December 2019.