The 10th Special Olympics Regional Games for the Middle East and North Africa region, themed "Sports Performance," kicked off in Cairo on September 17 and will conclude on September 23. The games feature 173 athletes and 42 leaders from 13 countries. Equestrian events have been a highlight of the games, with competitions in English riding and show jumping taking place at the Cairo Riding Club.
The equestrian events were supervised by Heba Rizk, the technical responsible for equestrian sports. The competitions were divided into different levels and classifications based on the participants' abilities to ensure equal opportunities and fair competition. In the English riding events, level 1, classification 1, Tunisian rider Sleiman Nabli took the gold medal, followed by Egyptian rider Marwan Mohamed in second place and Egyptian rider Sharif Nanda in third.
In level 1, classification 2, Emirati rider Mohammed Zabir secured the top spot, followed by his compatriot Sultan Saif in second and Bahraini rider Ibrahim Mustafa in third. Moroccan rider Rashid Zaher participated in this category. Level 2, classification 1, saw Moroccan rider Wassim El Bakhari take the gold, Saudi rider Mohannad Mohammed in second, and Emirati rider Basma Bashar in third. Jordanian rider Mahmoud Ziadeh participated in this category.
Level 2, classification 2, Emirati rider Dhikra Ahmed took the top spot, followed by Saudi rider Omar Khalid in second and Egyptian rider Mustafa Husam in third. Saudi rider Sarah Ahmed participated in this category. Level 3 events saw diverse winners from various Arab countries. In division 1, Egyptian rider Abdelrahman Mohamed took the gold, followed by Kuwaiti rider Maryam Thiyab in second and her compatriot Abdullah Al Ali in third.
In level 3, division 2, Kuwaiti rider Nawaf Al Kassar took the top spot, followed by Egyptian rider Najih Sadiq in second and Emirati rider Osama Shukri in third. Egyptian rider Dina Asem participated in this category. Division 3 saw Bahraini rider Haider Said take the gold, followed by Egyptian rider Mai Mohamed in second and Jordanian rider Bader Hussein in third.
Level 3, division 4, Bahraini rider Sham Mohammed took the top spot, followed by Moroccan rider Fatima Zahra in second and Jordanian rider Nourshan Alaa Eddin in third. In division 5, Libyan rider Maram Mustafa took the gold, followed by Jordanian rider Yasmiena Yazan in second and Moroccan rider Jihan Jidou in third.
The equestrian events also included show jumping competitions. In level 1, division 1, Egyptian rider Marwan Mohamed took the gold, followed by his compatriot Sharif Mohamed in second and Emirati rider Sultan Saif in third. The games will conclude on September 22, with the closing ceremony, and the participating delegations will depart on September 23.
Key points
- The 10th Special Olympics Regional Games feature 173 athletes from 13 countries competing in various sports, including equestrian events.
- Equestrian competitions were divided into different levels and classifications to ensure equal opportunities for participants.
- The games aim to promote integration, participation, and communication among athletes from the Middle East and North Africa region.
