Dear friends and sports lovers,
This year, for the tenth time, the European Youth Games for the disabled Emil Open are being held, which give a chance to people with disabilities to show the world that they too can engage in top-level sports disciplines. The Emil Open blurs the distinction between the healthy and the disabled, removes prejudice and shows that everyone can really play sports. The Indian thinker Mahatma Gandhi once wisely said that strength does not come from physical abilities but unwavering will. Game participants have been proving this to us for ten years.
I am thrilled to see that people who are disabled do not miss the pleasure of exercise. I bow before these people. I can imagine how much effort and work they have to put in order to lead such a life and perform such activities as people without disabilities. The top-level sport, under their direction, then gets into entirely different dimensions.
That is why I really appreciate the organizers of the Emil Open games. They have been enabling young people with disabilities to measure their strength for ten years now. Undoubtedly, they managed to create a space in which these young people can realize and establish many contacts and friendships with their counterparts not only from the Czech Republic but also from other European countries.
I wish all participants in the Emil Open 2021 European Youth Games for the disabled not to lose their enthusiasm and zest for life in difficult times and enjoy the games' unique atmosphere. I wish athletes to be able to win, but also to lose because it is really not important to win but to participate. Remember that each of our losses will move us a little further to the desired goal. I wish the organizers that this year's games will be as successful as the previous ones and never lose their desire to help others.
Ing. Jan Schiller, Governor of the Ústecký Region
