Chairperson of the Special Olympics Indonesia (SOIna) Board of Trustees Ganjar Pranowo seeks the support of all stakeholders for the Indonesian contingent to compete in the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games (SOWSG).
According to a statement received on Wednesday, Pranowo said that the support was important for the contingent to participate in the games in Berlin, Germany, on June 17-25, 2023.
Hence, he will attend a gala dinner held at the National Museum, Jakarta, this evening to encourage support from various parties.
“By hosting this (gala dinner) event, we hope that the community’s support for talented children with special needs (intellectual disabilities) can be strengthened,” head of the organizing committee for the 2023 SOWSG Gala Dinner Ismarilda remarked.
Furthermore, Ismarilda noted that the number of children with intellectual disabilities in Indonesia is quite a lot. Hence, through the gala dinner, it is hoped that in future, more concrete support would be provided by all parties to such children.
Ismarilda affirmed that the implementation of Special Olympics aims to give opportunities to children with intellectual disabilities to make their nations proud through sports.
“With an open opportunity to express themselves, they (children with intellectual disabilities) can become productive citizens as well as be equally accepted and recognized in society,” Ismarilda stated.
According to the data of SOIna, the Indonesian representatives had recorded excellent achievements during their participation in the Special Olympics, as the contingent won nine gold, nine silver, and four bronze medals in the 2007 SOWSG in Shanghai, China.
Indonesia’s achievement showed an improvement in the next edition of the Special Olympics — the 2011 SOWSG in Athens, Greece, — with 15 gold, 13 silver, and 11 bronze medals.
The contingent’s achievement also improved in the 2015 SOWSG in Los Angeles, the United States, with 19 gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze medals.
Meanwhile, in the 2019 SOWSG in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesian athletes managed to bag 11 gold, six silver, and four bronze medals.
SOIna is affiliated with the Special Olympics that is recognized as a member of the International Olympics Committee (IOC).
Indonesia joined as the 79th Special Olympics member on August 9, 1989. Currently, regional management boards of SOIna have been established in 34 provinces across Indonesia.
Source: Antara News