Bereegad upbeat at the XIII special olympic games

A top official from the UAE Special Olympic Games is quietly confident the country will bring to display a much better performance at the XIII Special Olympic Games that gets under way in Athens from June 25. "We are a people who have more than once shown our capabilities on the field especially at the Special Olympics, and this time will be no different," Thani Juma Bereggad, Vice Chairman, UAE Special Olympics and Chairman of the Dubai Club for Special Needs told Gulf News from Germany on Thursday. Berregad, who will be making the trip from Germany to join the UAE squad directly in Greece, was upbeat on the UAE's chances. "We have put in that much of hard work and efforts in ensuring our athletes are in prime form for these Games, and that is where the confidence comes from," Berregad assured. 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics The UAE sent 40 athletes at the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics, but this time the number has risen to 70 along with another 50 who will be accompanying the squad as officials. The UAE will be participating in 13 sports from the total 21, including badminton, powerlifting, volleyball, table tennis, bowling, bocce, cycling, football, athletics, equestrian, swimming and basketball to be held during the course of the Games in Athens. "Everyone had a chance to prove what they were capable of leading up to the Athens Games and the ones who are making the trip, are the ones who we believe will bring glory to our country," Berregad said. "We believe we can get many more medals this time," he added. However, the official rued the lack of external exposure for the athletes this time during their preparation period due to several factors out of control. "The rules stipulate that we keep bringing in new faces during the Games and this has resulted in major changes for our squad. But we are quietly confident that these athletes are capable of returning with a much better medal haul this time," Berregad said. The official singled sports, such as swimming, athletics, equestrian and even football that will be making their debut at the Games. "We have set a goal and hopefully we can achieve this objective," he said. The 120-strong squad is scheduled to leave on an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning. From gulfnews.