Dear athletes, good morning to all of you,
to all the participants of the 11th European Youth Games for the Disabled Emil Open in Brno. My greetings also to the coaches of your teams. You have a great opportunity here to compete, to pit your strengths against each other. I believe that you have what it takes and each of you is looking forward to the competition and has trained hard for it. I keep my fingers crossed that you will achieve the best possible results with enthusiasm and with all your sporting heart.
Athletes with disabilities and their will and enthusiasm are always a huge inspiration to all of us. Their performances do not fall behind the performances of top athletes. And considering the obstacles that many of them have to overcome before they can succeed in their sport, their results should be valued twice as much.
I appreciate this opportunity to be able to wish you a lot of strength, good spirits and satisfaction with your sporting achievements. I believe that your performances will also be a great inspiration and you will be role models, especially for young people who have not found their way to sport yet.
I wish you every success in Brno.
Rudolf Špoták, President of the Pilsen Region
