Etihad Airways, the national airline of United Arab Emirates, will be the exclusive official carrier for the Pakistan Special Olympics team participating in the upcoming “Special Olympics World Summer Games 2011” being held this year in Athens, Greece.

Over 7,500 Special Olympics athletes hailing from 185 nations will compete in 22 Olympic sporting events from June 25 - July 9 at this year’s games.

Comprising more than 89 members from across Pakistan, the Pakistan Special Olympics team will be travelling from Lahore and Islamabad to Greece with Etihad Airways.

Amer Khan, Country Manger Pakistan for Etihad Airways, said: “At Etihad Airways, we are proud to associate ourselves with initiatives designed to elevate an individual’s desire to achieve. This year’s Special Olympics World Summer Games provides us with the opportunity to support both a fantastic cause, and the many talented individuals representing Pakistan. We wish the team the best of luck in the games.”

Saeed Ahmad, Chairman of the Special Olympics in Pakistan, said: “I express my gratitude to Etihad Airways for its support of the Pakistan Special Olympics team. The airline has shown its commitment and support to many different sections of Pakistani society through this sponsorship.”

The Special Olympics was initiated by Anne McGlone Burke in 1968, a physical education teacher in Chicago, Illinois who approached Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of the US President John F Kennedy, to fund a one-time Olympic-style athletic competition for people with special needs. The first ever Special Olympics was held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois in 1968.

The Special Olympics program and the first ever Special Olympics in Pakistan were initiated in the city of Karachi in 1989 by a group of humanitarian individuals who brought together children and adults with special needs to provide them with activities and a chance to compete in sport. Today, the Special Olympics Pakistan program encompasses individuals with special needs from all over the country with more than 16,000 athlete participants.
 

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