Special Olympics event kicks off today

The Special Olympics Pakistan (SOP) is launching its 2010 National Games in Karachi today to mark Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day.

The event involves 350 intellectually challenged athletes and kicks off at the Benazir Sports Complex in Karachi from today. The five-day event includes aquatics, bocce and volleyball contested by participants from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan, Islamabad and Sindh with the opening ceremoney taking place at 6 pm.

SOP, which was founded in 1989 and held its first national games in Karachi in 1991 contested by 75 athletes, also held it’s National Games in Lahore and Islamabad earlier this year which included athletics, basketball, badminton, football, table tennis and cycling.

There are ocurrently over 14,700 athletes and participants registered with SOP.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2010.