Brno, 10 September 2020
The European Youth Games for the Disabled - Emil Open 2020 start on 16 September. More than 600 participants from 13 countries will arrive in Brno to measure their performances in five summer sports. Before the start of the four-day “marathon”, one of the key milestones of the Games is the start of the cooperation with the Czech Special Olympic Movement. The organizing association of Emil Sports Association signed a Memorandum with this movement. The goal is to further develop the sports activities of children and youth with disabilities.
The representatives of Emil Sports Association and Czech Special Olympic Movement signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Brno today. It will touch several areas - organizing public events for disabled children and youth, educating society in the lives of disabled or a complete promotion. The Movement is the official accredited national program of Special Olympics and thus it is behind organizing special Olympics in the Czech Republic. The ninth year of the European Youth Games for the Disables will start in Brno on 16 September, with the participation of people with various disabilities aged 10 to 26.
"For us and our concept of the European Youth Games for the Disabled Emil Open, the signing of the Memorandum is a big breakthrough. For a long time, we have been striving for a partnership of main organizations that would continue to cooperate with athletes even after the Emil Open and create an offer for further sports for them. Through games, we bring hundreds of young people to the sport, even the ones that have not yet played sports, with whom it is not possible for us to continue working after the games. And a cooperation with such a strong partner with a large network of sports clubs throughout the Czech Republic allows us to create this offer,” states Pavel Zbožínek from the Emil Sports Association. The association was founded by the Emil Endowment Fund with the aim to support the development of physical activities for children and youth with disabilities.
For 30 years, the Czech Special Olympic Movement has been providing people with mental disabilities with a whole year opportunity of sports trainings and sports competitions in various sports of Olympic type through about 150 sports clubs around the Czech Republic and thus it supports human dignity, respect, self-confidence and self-esteem for people with mental disability and it improves their social integration. “ We are pleased that this idea finds support outside the Special Olympics and thus we can cooperate on its implementation in specific fields with Emil Sports Association, which founded the Emil Endowment Fund,” says Ester Koníčková, the President of the Czech Special Olympic Movement.
The upcoming European Youth Games for the Disables Emil Open are a specific case of a sports event that offers an opportunity to young people with disabilities to do sports. In October, the 1st International Figure Skating Competition in the Czech Republic will take place on behalf of the Czech Special Olympic Movement under the auspices of the Emil Sports Association.
About the Czech Special Olympic Movement
The Czech Special Olympic Movement (CSOM) is the official accredited national Special Olympics program. In accordance with the goals and rules of the SO, CSOM organizes Special Olympic events in the Czech Republic and it also ensures the Czech Republic’s involvement in the international SO programs. CSOM associates 150 SO sports clubs throughout the Czech Republic and over 2,800 athletes with mental disabilities are involved in its regular sports programs. In accordance with the international Special Olympics program, the mission of CSOM is, in particular, to provide the opportunity of the whole year sports training and sports competitions in various sports of Olympic type for people with mental disabilities aged 8 and over, to give them a consistent opportunity to develop physical condition, show courage and determination, experience joy, share and develop skills and friendships with their families and other athletes of Special Olympics and the whole community.
Find more on www.specialolympics.cz
About Emil Sports Association, r.a.
Emil Sports Association, r. a. is a community founded by the Emil Endowment Fund in order to support the development of physical activities of the public and people with disabilities, organizing sports events and establishing sports clubs. The Endowment Fund expands and raises the profile of its charitable and sports activities.
The Emil Endowment Fund is a non-profit organization helping disabled children and young people under 30 to do sports, primarily in the form of direct financial support. The Emil Endowment Fund has already supported over 8,000 individual athletes and sports clubs. Its basic mission is to be the symbol of an effective assistance to disabled young athletes, to help them overcome their own barriers through sport, to find new friends and to discover “their” meaning of life.
Find more on www.emilova-sportovni.cz and www.emilnadace.cz
About Emil Open
The European Youth Games for the Disables are an international sports and social gathering of young people with disabilities. Because of the expected number of participants, international concept, scope of sports activities of accompanying and cultural program, it is a unique event of European format. This event is built on the successful and significantly growing previous years of the youth games for the disabled.
Find more on: https://emilopen.cz
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