The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi showcases emirate to Special Olympics Delegations

All India, 15th March 2019:  A delegation of representatives from several Special Olympics World Games teams, who are in Abu Dhabi to take part in the largest sports and humanitarian event of 2019, were treated to a comprehensive tour around the emirate on Saturday, March 9, to showcase its world-class cultural and touristic credentials. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the tour showcasing the very best of what the emirate has to offer included representatives from 39 of the competing nations and included visit to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn and the Cultural Foundation, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Majlis Al Mushrif, Emirates Park Zoo and Heritage Village, and also UAE University, Hili Park and Al Ain Zoo in Al Ain. The athletes also visited schools across the emirate on their tour, as part of the ‘Adopt a Nation’ programme. The programme has paired schools across the emirate with countries participating in the Special Olympics, providing a platform to engage students with the Games by promoting the study of the values and cultures of the competing nations. The Abu Dhabi edition of the Special Olympics World Games, which is being held in the MENA region for the very first time, will feature 7,500 athletes competing in 24 sports categories, with record-breaking participation from 192 countries, making these Games the most unified ever in the 50-year history of the Special Olympics. About the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi The Department of Culture and Tourism conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction that enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike.  The Department manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment.  Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.  The Department of Culture and Tourism supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage.  A key role played by the Department is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base. About Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019   Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces, Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 is an integral part of local, national and regional plans to expand opportunities for people of determination in line with Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s shared vision of a unified and inclusive society. Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi will be the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world in 2019. From 14 – 21 March, over 7,500 athletes and 3,000 coaches, representing more than 190 nations, will participate in 24 officially sanctioned Olympic-style sports in world-class venues throughout Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The first ever Special Olympics World Games to be held in the Middle East and North Africa will also be the most unified Games in the 50-year history of the Special Olympics movement, with inclusion of people of determination with intellectual disabilities in every aspect of the event.