The athletes who will be heading off to Germany to take part in this years Special Olympics World Games, were all in high spirits at their official send-off, in Parktown in Johannesburg.
The games will be held in Berlin, from the 17th to 25th of June.
The Special Olympics World Games are the world’s largest inclusive sports event, where thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities compete in 26 different sporting codes.
Special Olympics team South Africa comprising 64 athletes and 21 coaches left for Berlin in Germany on Sunday night. 25-year-old Innocentia Msikinya, from the North West, who will be participating in the table tennis event, says she’s extremely excited and looking forward to the challenge of taking on the world’s best athletes in the sport.
“I am excited. I am nervous at the same time, and I am looking forward to seeing what’s going on there, and I am very excited, and maybe I might bring back home the gold or silver. My training has been very hard, not easy at all, but I think that I am ready.”
Another table tennis player, Donovan Matebetsi, from the Northern Cape, was in high spirits, confident that he is going to bring home the gold.
“I am so excited. I can’t wait to go to Germany, I can’t wait. I just want to go to Germany. I can’t wait. I want to win the golden medal and I also want to thank my family there for supporting me. And I am perfect now and I will make it to the finals and I will come back with the golden medal.”
Phambili Team South Africa !
Seeing off the Team to the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin
Nihambe kahle & ninqobeni@SpecialOlympics @SO_SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/dxOOqjMNyJ
— Andreas Peschke (@AmbPeschke) June 11, 2023
Chairperson of the South African special Olympics team, Dr Matthews Phosa, says he is confident in the teams abilities. But all he wants is to see is the athletes having the best time of their lives, playing the sports they love.
“Let’s go to Berlin and join more than 190 countries which will be participating with their athletes and do our best and first enjoy the sport, the various sports we are going to participate in and bring back the gold, silver and the bronze. My message is we are winners, there are no losers amongst us and that is why we say let me win and if I don’t win let me fail in the attempt.”
Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has wished all the athletes well, saying she is proud of their achievements.
“We are very proud of them, they always do very well. But also sports is very important for young people not only for their physical well being but also for their mental well being. But also it is for everyone participating and in South Africa we are happy that everyone and we are very happy that we ensure that everyone has a right to participate in the highest level and we wish them the best and we know they will do us proud as they have always done before.”
South African athletes to represent the country in the 2023 Special Olympics Word Games in Berlin:
