The city of Ploiesti is becoming the capital of social inclusion through sport, as it hosts, from August 28 to 30, the 19th edition of the Special Olympics Romania National Games, dedicated to Nadia Comaneci Year.

'These days, Ploiesti will be the capital of social inclusion through sport. This is the 19th edition. We very much want this to be visible across the entire country, to become known everywhere and for our athletes to be seen for what they are capable of doing, rather than for the limitations that everyone immediately starts thinking about as soon as they are labelled,' Special Olympics Romania Sports Director Viorel Mocanu said on Thursday at a news conference in Ploiesti.

He stressed the importance of physical activity for maintaining health.

'According to World Health Organization statistics, 3% of the world's population are people with intellectual disabilities, making people with intellectual disabilities the largest group among all categories of people with disabilities. Adapted sport, in the way Special Olympics practises it, is sport in which priority is given to physical activities aimed at maintaining and improving health. We all say on almost every occasion that health is the most important thing for us, yet very rarely are we prepared to do something consistently to maintain and improve our health. For this category of people, for athletes with intellectual disabilities, the incidence of diseases related to sedentary lifestyles (...) is even higher. As a proportion of the population, children in Romania are among the largest groups of children in European countries affected by obesity. Physical activity is absolutely essential to prevent this. (...) If all children in this country, especially those with disabilities, exercised, we would have fewer sick people,' Viorel Mocanu said.

More than 300 athletes from 30 counties and Bucharest will take part in this year's Special Olympics Romania National Games. They represent 64 foundations, associations, mainstream and special schools, and DGASPC centres.

The athletes will compete in bocce, athletics and swimming, accompanied by 150 coaches, teachers and family members, 150 volunteers, as well as medical and technical staff.

'This year's edition has a special significance, as it is dedicated to Nadia Comaneci Year, a celebration of Romanian sporting achievement and of the values that sport can pass on to future generations: courage, discipline, perseverance, confidence and the desire to surpass one's own limits. For Special Olympics athletes, every competition is an opportunity to demonstrate what they can do, test their abilities, support their teammates and enjoy sport alongside the community. In Ploiesti, the three days of competition will bring together athletes, families, teachers, coaches, volunteers, medical professionals and members of the local community,' Ploiesti City Hall said previously in a press release.

According to the source, the competitions will begin on Friday with the preliminary bocce and athletics events, held at the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti (UPG) from 8:00 a.m. Athletes will also receive free medical assessments here as part of Special Olympics' Healthy Athletes programme dedicated to athletes' health.

On Saturday, the preliminary bocce and athletics events and free medical assessments will continue at UPG from 8:00 a.m. Also that day, the preliminary swimming competitions will take place at the Didactic Swimming Pool in Campina, starting at 10:00 a.m.

The evening of August 29 will be dedicated to one of the most moving moments of the National Games: the Flame of Hope Run, the equivalent of the Olympic Flame within the Special Olympics movement.

The Flame of Hope will be carried by Special Olympics athletes, local sports figures, representatives of the law enforcement authorities and representatives of Ploiesti City Hall. The route will start in front of Ploiesti City Hall at 6:00 p.m. and end at Ploiesti Olimpia Hall, where the Opening Ceremony will take place from 7:00 p.m.

The ceremony will bring together the delegations of more than 300 athletes and the 150 invited coaches, teachers and family members. The programme will include the parade of delegations, the lighting of the Flame of Hope, the raising of the Special Olympics flag and the recitation of the Special Olympics Oath, along with specially prepared artistic performances. The public will also enjoy a musical performance by Nicola.

Sunday, August 30 will be the day of the final competitions and medal ceremonies. At Ploiesti Olimpia Hall, from 8:00 a.m., athletes will take part in the final bocce and athletics events, followed by the medal ceremonies.

At the same time, the final swimming events and medal ceremonies will be held at the Didactic Swimming Pool in Campina from 8:00 a.m. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Anamaria Constantin; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)