Through its empowering leadership, UAE Special Olympics continues to develop People of Determination and strengthen their social standing — making the country a genuine global model for inclusive sport.
A Legacy of Inclusion and Success
The programme traces its roots to the early 1990s, when the UAE Disabled Sports Federation began organising competitions and training hundreds of athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A pivotal moment came in 2017, when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed that Special Olympics UAE be granted formal public-benefit organisation status.
The movement's profile soared when Abu Dhabi hosted the 2019 Special Olympics World Games — an event that drew 7,000 athletes from around the world and triggered substantial, sustained growth inside the UAE programme.
A String of Remarkable Achievements
UAE athletes have since delivered consistently outstanding results on the international stage:
- 2022 Malta Games — 16 medals (6 gold, 8 silver, 2 bronze) - 2023 Berlin World Games — 73 medals (18 gold, 22 silver, 33 bronze), the best performance by any Arab nation in the history of the event - 2023 Asian Classic Powerlifting Championships (Malaysia) — 20 medals (15 gold, 5 silver) - 2024 Malta National Games — 15 medals across five sports - 2024 Middle East and North Africa Athletics Championship (Amman) — 22 medals (12 gold, 10 silver) - 2024 UAE Special Olympics Games — hosted more than 1,000 athletes across two events
At the 2024 Torino Games in Italy the nation secured 16 medals, cementing its position as the top-ranked Arab and Middle Eastern country at the competition.
Commitment to Empowerment and Growth
National Director Talal Al Hashemi summed up the programme's direction:
> "We experienced a transformative age of empowerment as well as excellence during and after the 2019 Abu Dhabi Games. Our leadership-aligned strategy maintains its support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which brings remarkable advancement to our athletes."
The results speak to a programme that is not merely competing internationally but setting the standard for what an Arab nation can achieve in inclusive sport — and the ambition, under Al Hashemi's stewardship, shows no sign of slowing.
