The cheers and applause in Zayed Sports City Stadium have fallen silent, signalling the end of the Special Olympics World Games in the UAE, but the event's legacy will resound for years to come. As Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver said, it was "the best Games in the history of the Special Olympics". That went beyond the event itself, which presented us with a week-long spectacle of breathtaking triumph over adversity, from horse rider Joseph Bradley, who was brain-damaged as an infant but went on to win gold and bronze awards, to the fortitude of the Syrian team, whose 107 athletes had to overcome the ravages of war to practise at home and compete abroad. "There were times when a shell would land in the middle of the pool or gym," their trainer told The National, "but that never stopped us".
More significantly, the Special Olympics has brought together people of all abilities and debunked falsely held preconceptions about those with physical or intellectual disabilities. It has provided a platform to showcase their talent to the world and to be rewarded for their exceptional determination and persistence. As Thomas McCobb, a badminton player with attention deficit disorder and autism, said: "For the past six days I've truly felt appreciated. I don't want the Games to end."
As the Year of Tolerance unfolds, the sporting event has sown the seeds of this nation's drive to become more inclusive, with opportunities for all to thrive and succeed in the future. Just before the Games began, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, launched 31 initiatives for those with special needs to get better access to sports, education, health and culture programmes. That will hopefully mean more UAE competitors in future Games, as well as improved opportunities to flourish in different fields at home. In just a week, the spirit of inclusion and resilience embodied by the Games has fostered hope and provided numerous highlights, the memory of which will linger for a long time. It will undoubtedly be followed by positive change in the UAE and beyond.
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
AL%20BOOM
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
