[ad_1]
The UAE women’s soccer team won silver in the Special Olympics Unity Cup in Detroit, Michigan.
The 11-man squad went head-to-head with teams from India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Burkina Faso and then Namibia in the final.
The match from 31 July to 6 August is the UAE Women’s Special Olympics coronavirus break out.
We had a special exchange with special athletes after training together
Maha Mosa, goalkeeper for Al Ain FC
Unified Games will bring together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, breaking down barriers and building a community of acceptance and inclusion.
Sharma Al Mazroui, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Special Olympics President, said the country is proud of their achievements.
“The Cup provides a great opportunity for UAE Special Olympics athletes to interact with other footballers who are equally passionate about the sport,” she said.
She dedicated this achievement to Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of Nations, a supporter of Emirati women and their participation in sport.
Comprising six disabled athletes and five female athletes, the team is also known as the “Unity Partners.”
an integral part of the community
Al Ain FC’s goalkeeper Maha Mosa described the match as an exciting experience.
“We have a special communication with special athletes after we train together,” she told National.
“It’s very important that athletes with special needs should be part of the sport.”
The UAE Special Olympics unified women’s soccer team was established in 2017 and previously competed at the regional level world games in Abu Dhabi.
“The team has not had any chance to play internationals during Covid and this is their first big game in the past two years,” said Amr Badawi, Head of Special Olympics Sports in the UAE and Deputy Head of Delegation.
Two weeks of training in Abu Dhabi were crucial to the preparations before the team left for the United States.
Daily breakfasts, training sessions, briefings before each game, the coaches stress that the next phase of tactical planning and regular assessments are critical to the team’s success.
“Training and daily meetings are very important because it helps the unified partners and our athletes learn more about each other,” Mr Badawi said.
“It helps build a relationship and a language that everyone can easily understand.
“Our goal was to be integrated on and off the pitch, and we achieved that during the game.”
More than 300 mentally disabled and non-mentally challenged football players represented more than 20 countries at the Cup in Detroit.
The UAE team hopes to play unified football in Brazil next year and will prepare more training sessions and international competitions.
These competitions are key to changing perceptions of the potential of athletes with intellectual disabilities and carry the ambition to empower people from all backgrounds and abilities.
The UAE national unified women’s soccer team includes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The team is coached by Emirati footballer turned coach Houriya Al Taheri.
“A few weeks ago, there wasn’t much understanding among the team members, but through training, we’ve seen incredible strength,” she said.
“The team is focused on training together and leaving no one behind, they grow together and help each other. It’s very rewarding to see the positive impact of inclusion and how they look after each other.”
UAE Special Olympics athletes claim 16 medals in recent invitational Maltathey are the only Arab countries invited to participate.
Updated: August 8, 2022 at 3:45 pm
[ad_2]
Source link