AURAK Looks to the World Games

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK), in coordination with World Games Abu Dhabi, conducted a kickoff meeting with Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019.

The Special Olympics World Games is an international sporting competition that globally showcases people with intellectual disabilities ranging from world-class competitors to those with limited physical abilities in Olympic-style sporting events, attracting hundreds of thousands of volunteers, coaches, and athletes and raising awareness concerning people with intellectual disabilities to millions of people worldwide.

The Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, will be the first Special Olympics World Games to be held in the Middle East/North African region, consisting of 24 sports, and is projected to be the world’s largest humanitarian sporting event for people with intellectual disabilities in history, welcoming 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches, and 6,000 family members from 170 nations.  It is set to take place on March 14 - 21, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The AURAK meeting highlighted various avenues for possible student involvement in the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 event such as establishing student committees, attending the World Games, participating in inclusion initiatives, forming a band, creating posters, and volunteering.

AURAK President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim is looking forward to AURAK’s participation in the upcoming Special Olympics World Games, “It gives me great pleasure in AURAK contributing in any way we can.  Everyone has a role to play in raising awareness of this population so that they will be better understood, thus making our efforts to support them more efficient and ensuring the betterment of our society.”