Sports and Arts Programs

Sport is one of the essential fields that helps people of determination especially people with Down syndrome because it focuses on enhancing their mental, behavioral, and inclusion in their community.

The association offers sports programs yearly for the sports teams during the evening period and the programs are done by a volunteered coach.

Bocce is an ancient sport that was originally made in the middle east and south Africa, however, nowadays it is played all over the world. Bocce requires a lot of skills and thinking in order to move as many balls as possible close to the scoring point (Pallino). The bocce team can include 2 to 4 players. In 1995 this sport was added to the Special Olympics, this decision was made by The World Games.

Basketball is one of the favored sports in the Special Olympics, that demands high levels of power and energy. This sport is one of the unified sports in the Special Olympics, where a combined team of people of determination and normal athletics are on one team

Bowling is a competitive sport where players throw the bowling ball towards the bowling pins, the higher number of fallen bowling pins the higher score the player earns. Even though bowling is not an Olympic sport however it is considered an Olympic sport in the special needs Olympics.

Equestrianism is a very competitive sport that demands horse riding skills and horse communication skills to ensure control and balance. This sport is very special and popular in the Special Olympics because it aims to improve sensory and motor skills in addition to the mental and social state.

Golf is a sport that involves using different golf clubs to hit the ball into a series of holes with a smaller number of strikes, the player will be faced by different terrains and different land shapes which makes it harder to score from the first trial.

Swimming is one of the popular sports, that demands great usage of arms and legs muscles to move the body in the water. There are many types of swimming sports for example relay swimming, short-distance swimming, and long-distance swimming, these sports can be either performed in an open water space or closed water space (pools).

Table tennis is a very precise and difficult sport that requires fast and consistent hands and eye movements. Two or four players can participate in passing and delivering the light ball above the tent that is placed in the middle of the table and the ball has to hit the competitor’s side of the table.

Badminton is considered one of the universal sports, it was originated in England however nowadays it is mostly played in Asian countries. This sport consists of a shuttlecock, racket, and a large tent in the middle of the field, and it highly requires high speed and fast responses from the players. In the Special Olympics, a combined team of players with intellectual disabilities and normal players are both in one team to compete against other teams.

Since 2010, Dr. Najat Makki an Emirati visual artist has been hosting 10 workshops yearly to train people with Down syndrome to be more skillful in art and participate with their paintings in several exhibitions