Dear athletes,
I am very pleased that I can greet you on the occasion of the ninth summer games for handicapped youth, which are traditionally held in Brno in the Czech Republic. It is great that these games give the handicapped young people from the Czech Republic and Europe aged 10 to 26 a chance to take part in real international sports competitions and give you inspiration and motivation for active approach not just to sports, but also your lives. This is very important for your integration into normal life.
I really admire your zeal with which you overcome your personal difficulties. Over a million people with disabilities live in the Czech Republic alone. And we need to show to these people that we consider them to be our full fellow citizens and that we do not have prejudices against them. I appreciate that the organizers of this event give you the opportunity to get acquainted with sports disciplines and competitions at a higher level. And at the same time also the opportunity to meet young people with similar problems from different European countries.
This year, the holding of these games was disrupted, like the whole life of our country, by a coronavirus epidemic, which so unexpectedly and to such an extent affected Europe and the Czech Republic. The vigorous reaction of our government has prevented the tragic effects we have seen in other countries.
The health measures taken against the spread of the epidemic included the cancellation of major sporting events with a large number of athletes and visitors and prevented us from organizing your sports games in the original June term when the health risk would still be too high. The alternative date in September is therefore an opportunity to show that we have managed the coronavirus crisis together and that we are returning to a normal life.
Our government and I personally support the sports activities of young people and people in the Czech Republic. That is why we have created a national sports agency which ensures the promotion of sport, its support, cooperates with sports organizations in the international field of sport and sports representations, and implements state policy in the field of sport. Even during the crisis we did not forget about sports and supported it with the COVID - Sport program.
Dear young athletes, dear organizers of the ninth European Games of Handicapped Youth Emil Open, I wish you a beautiful sports and competitive atmosphere and thank you for coming to beautiful Brno. Good luck to all of you!
