Kazan will host the Unitied Games according to the program of the Special Olympics of Russia
Unitied Games for People with mental Disabilities will be held in Kazan from January 22 to 26, 2023. More than 2 thousand athletes and team representatives will gather in the capital of Tatarstan. This will be the largest competition in the history of the Russian Special Olympics. The participants of this sports festival will perform in 18 sports and demonstrate by their example the triumph of man's victory over circumstances. For the first time, competitions in summer and winter sports will be held within the framework of one tournament.
On January 10, a meeting of the republican organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the Unified Games was held in Kazan under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Leyla Fazleeva. The participants discussed the preparation and format of the Unitied Games, and also sent a number of instructions to regional departments that will ensure a comfortable and safe holding of the event.
"We are expecting a wonderful event related to the achievements of special athletes – the Unified Games. Representatives of the regions of Russia and the Republic of Belarus come to us. All the structures involved in the event will make every effort to ensure that the organization is at a high level," Leyla Fazleeva said.
The opening ceremony of the Games will take place on January 22 at the Kazan Expo IEC. It is expected that it will be a large-scale colorful show with a musical program.
In turn, the competitions will unfold at 14 modern venues – Kazan has sufficient sports infrastructure and experience in holding high-level competitions.
"We are living through a very difficult time, in which each of us must realize that there are those who are even more difficult. People with intellectual disabilities are especially dependent on civil society, on each of us. By supporting those who are weaker, a person becomes more responsible towards himself and his country. An inclusive society is a society of mutual understanding and support for each other. And we are obliged to make sure that the citizens of our country, who have nowhere to wait for help except from us, feel stable and kind support. We pay great respect to parents and specialists who work with children and adults with intellectual disabilities, supporting them with all possible means," said Olga Slutsker, President of the United Games for the Special Olympics program of Russia.
The Unitied Games of the Special Olympics are designed to preserve the mission of the Special Olympics movement, to continue the development of opportunities through training and competitions for people with mental disabilities, to raise public awareness of the talents and achievements of athletes of the Games, to promote the formation of a positive attitude towards people with intellectual disabilities.
The participants of the Unitied Games have no goal to identify the strongest, set a new sports record or win the medal team competition. The main objective of the competition is socialization and health promotion through the involvement of people with mental disabilities in regular physical education and sports.
Participants will compete in badminton and unified badminton, basketball, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, judo, athletics, cross-country skiing, table tennis and unified table tennis, swimming, volleyball, dance sports, tennis and unified tennis, figure skating, floorball, futsal, rhythmic gymnastics and the short track.
The games have been declared open to participants from all countries.
The general management of the organization of the Games is carried out by the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, the All-Russian Public Charity Organization for the Disabled with Mental Retardation "Special Olympics of Russia", the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan.