Thursday March 28th, 2024
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In Case you Haven't Heard, the First-Ever Pan-African Special Olympics has Just Started in Cairo

The first Pan-African Special Olympics started in Cairo on 23rd January.

Staff Writer

In Case you Haven't Heard, the First-Ever Pan-African Special Olympics has Just Started in Cairo

For the very first time, ever, like we can't believe more people haven't heard of this, the Pan-African Regional Special Olympics have launched in Cairo. Under the auspice of President Sisi, this crucial event runs until January 31st and brings together 800 athletes from 42 countries across MENA and Africa, making this the first time the two regions have co-hosted a Special Olympics event.

In an effort to achieve more equal gender representation in the Special Olympics, the female-to-male ratio is 50:50, which marks the first time in special olympics history that such an equal ratio has been enforced. According to their website, this competition aims to “engage key influencers and engage and communities to help create positive attitudes and bring about permanent change towards the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities throughout the continent of Africa.” And if you haven't heard of any of this before, well, you have now.

This event has the potential to serve as a pivotal moment for inclusion of athletes with disabilities and gender representation in the region. Hopefully, these games will lead to further opportunities for these talented athletes.