Windhoek: Around 50 Special Olympics athletes from various African countries are expected to take part in the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games, Special Olympics Africa president Charles Nyambe has confirmed. This follows increased public interest and recent media discussions on the participation of the athletes at the upcoming games.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the games are slated for 04-13 July in Windhoek and Swakopmund and will host around 2,552 athletes and staff from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This will be the first time that athletes from Special Olympics will be participating in the tournament.

Special Olympics is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. 'Expect to witness over 50 Special Olympics athletes participating across the 10 national delegations. Each programme (country) has nominated a male and female athlete in line with the event's structure, although exact numbers may vary slightly by country due to logistics and selection processes,' Nyambe told Nampa in an interview.

He explained that since this is the first time the organisation's athletes will be participating in the competition, they will not be involved in all the available sport codes, however, in future events they will gradually be competing in more codes. 'Our athletes will participate in athletics - 100m, 200m and long jump - as this is the first time Special Olympics is participating in the Region 5 Games. There will be an increase in different sports codes in the future which may include football, basketball and volleyball,' he indicated.

Nyambe said athletes from all 10 participating nations have been preparing for the event for months, undergoing sport-specific training, medical screenings, and divisioning to ensure their safety and readiness to compete. 'Excitement, genuine moments of unity, and athletes who compete wholeheartedly are what fans can expect from the athletes,' Nyambe said, calling on fans to support the athletes.