ABU DHABI, third February, 2025 (WAM) — Special Olympics UAE, in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), launched an revolutionary coaching programme to boost the abilities of athletes in desk tennis.
Kicking off at Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, the programme brings collectively 120 athletes with mental and developmental challenges and 30 coaches from golf equipment throughout the UAE from 2nd to sixth February.
The programme goals to raise the technical talents of People of Determination in desk tennis and open new pathways for the game throughout the group.
The launch occasion welcomed representatives from Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, Sharjah Sports Council, and Al Thiqah Club for Disabled, together with a specialised Japanese delegation overseeing the programme.
The delegation contains skilled desk tennis coaches and technical consultants led by Maruko Hirano, a famend coach from the Hirano Table Tennis Center in Japan.
With a decade of expertise teaching inclusive desk tennis programmes, Hirano has labored extensively with college students of all talents and presently leads a centre in Japan that welcomes over 100 athletes of numerous backgrounds, together with People of Determination, selling social inclusion via sports activities.
Talal Al Hashemi, National Director of Special Olympics UAE, emphasised the importance of the programme, stating, “Table tennis is a sport that allows People of Determination to express themselves, develop essential physical and mental skills, and compete. Through this programme, we aim to enhance the capabilities of our athletes and create new opportunities within Special Olympics UAE’s sports community. We are excited to witness their progress and are grateful to JICE and the expert coaches for sharing their knowledge with our athletes and trainers across the UAE.”
This collaboration is a part of a long-standing partnership between Special Olympics UAE and JICE, which has resulted in a number of profitable programmes. Notably, in January 2023, JICE hosted the Special Olympics UAE’s Women’s Unified Football Team for a coaching camp in Japan, making ready them for the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023.