Ilsur Metshin holds a preparatory meeting for Special Olympics World Winter Games

About 2,000 athletes will take part in competitions in seven sports.

The preparation for Special Olympics World Winter Games, which will be held in the capital of Tatarstan in 2022 and will be the first international event under the auspices of Special Olympics International in Russia, was discussed at the Executive Committee of Kazan. The meeting was held by the Mayor of the city Ilsur Metshin.

According to the applications, 3,000 members of delegations, including about 2,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and unified partners, from 99 countries will take part in Special Olympics World Winter Games, said the Minister of Sports of Tatarstan Vladimir Leonov. At the moment, the sports program has been formed and several test events have been held. Competitions in seven sports will be held at five sports venues.

In general, the preparation for the event is carried out in time, said Maksim Denisov, Director General of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects. He also spoke about the preparation of the cultural program, including the opening and closing ceremonies of Special Olympics World Winter Games in Kazan. The director of the ceremonies will be Alexey Sechenov. According to him, at the opening ceremony, the spectators will see the final of the torch relay live, and the theme of the performance will be understanding, acceptance of others and inclusion.