Spectacular opening ceremony launches 2017 Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai

The Opening Ceremony for the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games took place in Dubai on the evening of 10th December, kicking off a three day festival of sport for young para-athletes from across Asia. The ceremony was honoured to have His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed Al Maktoum in attendance.

The evening began with an athlete parade, where the 800 competitors paraded around the track at the athletics stadium in the Dubai Club for People of Determination, the main venue for the Games. The home team of the United Arab Emirates were the last team to arrive and got a rapturous reception from the large crowd. A rousing video demonstrated the progress made by the UAE over recent years and celebrated the vibrant, modern city that is Dubai today. It highlighted how committed Dubai and the UAE is to para-sport and the role that the Asian Youth Para Games have in developing this further.

In his opening speech, Asian Paralympic Committee President, Mr Majid Rashed welcomed everyone to the Games and highlighted how they are supporting the APC’s ambition to make Asia one of the leading Paralympic regions: "We want young disabled people in Asia to be encouraged and excited by what they will see; we want them to believe that there is no limit to what they can achieve. We want the barriers between disabled and non-disabled people to be broken down and for there to be real strides made in inclusion in sport and society as a result."

Chairman of the Asian Youth Para Games committee, Mr. Mohammed Al Hameli thanked the various organisations that have supported the delivery of the Games and commented:" The United Arab Emirates has become one of the most developed countries in the world and it is now one of the most important destinations for hosting international and regional Para Sports championships. We wish all the competitors every success in the Games and a great stay in the UAE in general and Dubai, the capital of sport, in particular."

Traditional Arabic dancers then entertained the crowd before the evening finished with a spectacular laser show.

Earlier in the day, the first matches in Goalball took place. China men’s and women’s team started strongly with decisive victories in their respective matches. The round robin stages of Table Tennis also took place. For keep up to date with results and all the action go to aypgdubai2017.com

Jane Jones

Asian Paralympic Committee

Media Manager

+44 7737 701098

Skype: janejones119

Twitter: @asianparalympic

Facebook: @AsianPCofficial

www.asianparalympic.org

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