Special Olympics and Badminton World Federation (BWF) have officially kicked off their World Games Training Pledge initiative aiming to best prepare badminton athletes competing at World Games Berlin 2023.
On 21 November 2021 at the Dubai Sports Council, Special Olympics United Arab Emirates (UAE) and UAE Badminton Committee became the first organizations to take the pledge to enhance their mutual interests and provide training support to Special Olympics UAE athletes who will compete in badminton at the 2023 Games. The signing follows several badminton activities between Special Olympics UAE and UAE Badminton Committee during the month of November, which will finish off with a second Unified Air Badminton Tournament at the Expo 2020 Dubai on 26 November.
The World Games will take place from 17 June to 23 June 2023 and feature more than 200 badminton athletes from over 60 countries. With just under 600 days to go, Special Olympics Programs are beginning to select their teams and prepare athletes to showcase their skills on the world stage.
The initiative will strengthen existing partnerships and create new opportunities between Special Olympics Programs and National Badminton Federations, continuing the push for inclusion and creating meaningful opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to be involved in all aspects of badminton.
“I am delighted to see Special Olympics UAE and UAE Badminton Committee formalising their commitment to supporting athletes who will participate in the Special Olympics World Games 2023, in Berlin. Badminton continues to grow within the Special Olympics movement globally, and particularly in the UAE, where a tremendous effort has gone into expanding opportunities for Special Olympics athletes, following the successful Special Olympics World Games 2019, in Abu Dhabi. Over the coming months, I hope to see many more National Badminton Federations and National Special Olympics Programmes joining their UAE counter-parts and signing their own national pledges of support for the athletes who will represent their country at the games in Berlin.”
Chairman of SOI, Tim Shriver, added, “Providing our athletes quality sports training and athletic competition to develop fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy is at the heart of Special Olympics. We are excited to see the legacy of Abu Dhabi 2019 continue with the emergence of a strong badminton program in Special Olympics UAE with the support of UAE Badminton Committee. It is great to have their expertise assisting the efforts to have our athletes training for Berlin 2023. We look forward to many Special Olympics Programs & National Badminton Federations working together to best prepare our athletes to shine and perform at the best of their ability on the world stage.”
Special Olympics Programs and National Badminton Federations can download a copy of the World Games Training Pledge below to join the initiative and support their athletes in reaching their full potential in badminton!
World Games Training Pledge Template
World Games Training Pledge Memo
