Pak athletes shine at SO World Winter Games finale

The 12th Special Olympics World Winter Games, held in Turin, Italy, have come to an end.

The next World Winter Games will take place in Chile.

During the closing ceremony, the World Winter Games torch was extinguished, and the Special Olympics flag was handed over to Emilia Ríos, the Subsecretary of Sports for the Republic of Chile, the host country for the next games.

The World Winter Games lasted for eight days, with nearly 1,500 athletes from 103 countries participating.

The closing ceremony featured a musical program that delighted the athletes.

Despite the ongoing snowfall in the stadium, they enthusiastically performed various dances and exchanged jackets, badges, and souvenirs.

The Pakistani contingent also participated in the event with great enthusiasm. Alongside Special Olympics Pakistan Chairperson Ronak Lakhani and officials, the athletes sang patriotic songs, including "Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan."

The event concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.

The national contingent will return to Pakistan on Monday morning via a private airline, traveling through Abu Dhabi.

Previously, on the penultimate day of the games Pakistan's Muneeb Ur Rehman won the gold medal.

Mongolia's Amarjargal secured the silver, while China's Mingjun Hong took the bronze.

In the men's 400-meter snowshoeing race, Abdul Saboor from Pakistan clinched the gold medal, while Romania's Lonut Petrisor finished second and Macau's Chi Fong took third place.

In the women's 400-meter snowshoeing race, Pakistan's Minal won the gold medal, followed by Latvia's Adriana Maleca in second place and Chinese Taipei's Yi Jhen Chen in third.

Pakistan finished the event with a total of 11 medals, including 6 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze.

Chairperson of Special Olympics Pakistan, Ronak Lakhani, congratulated the athletes, coaches, Head of Delegation Farkhanda Jabeen, the social and media department's Taha Tahir and Saad Asif, team doctor Bilal Mateen, and SOP sponsors.

She praised the remarkable achievements of the Pakistani athletes, highlighting their perseverance and national spirit despite the freezing weather in Turin.

She expressed confidence that the athletes would continue their winning streak in future international events.

Earlier, Pakistan also took a silver medal in women's 100 x 4 relay in the snowshoeing event.