Dear ladies and gentlemen,
I'd like to greet you most cordially from the Central Bohemia Region and I very much wish you to enjoy the less than one week in Brno. I am pleased that, despite the coronavirus pandemic, the preparations for the European Youth Games for the Disabled have not stopped. It would be a pity to waste your training efforts, and most of all it would be sad if you lost the days full of fun, joy, meeting old friends and making new ones.
The last more than one year has been rather unusual. We suddenly had to adapt to circumstances beyond our control. People with disabilities have to live in such circumstances every day - they were either born with their disability or it came out of the blue. And they had no other choice than to learn to live with it. You, the participants of the Emil Open Games, have achieved much more. You started doing sports, you train, you race. That makes you happy as well as your loved ones, you learn to reach beyond your borders and you inspire others. And you deserve a big thank you for that. We should also thank all the volunteers who help with the games, as well as the organizers who make sure that everything runs as it should.
The European Youth Games for the Disabled are open to all athletes aged 10 to 26, regardless of whether they are just beginners in their sport or are already experienced racers. And that's exactly what is so nice about Emil Open Games - they are here for everyone and they are here for fun. I wish the organizers and the athletes that the pandemic would not hamper their plans and that the jubilee 10. Emil Open will be
a success.
Milan Vácha,
Councilor for Education and Sports, Central Bohemia Region
