“To the women, girls and girls with intellectual disabilities we want to give them courage and continue with initiatives in favor of more opportunities for them in an inclusive society”, was the main message that was passed by the wife of the Prime Minister and the President of Special Olympics Malta, Dr. Lydia Abela, during a discussion about women and girls with intellectual disabilities that took place on Saturday morning in Berlin before the opening of the Special Olympics World Games.
In a discussion with academics, athletes and even representatives of international organizations, Dr. Lydia Abela not only explained what Malta is doing to address challenges faced by people with disabilities, including women, but pointed out the strong message that Special Olympics, which celebrates the skills and potential of every person.
Dr. Abela claimed that our country has been lifted above a mentality where there is a sport associated only with men. She said that with initiatives being carried out at various levels in different sports disciplines such as football and rugby, women are getting involved in more sports disciplines that were previously only associated with men. “The national policy for sport in our country also emphasizes gender equality in terms of sporting opportunities and also pushes the participation of everyone at every sporting level”, she said.
She mentioned sports initiatives also through SportMalta that encourage girls, from an early age, to get involved in sports. Linked to the theme of disability, in the German capital, Lydia Abela explained that our country must continue to strengthen the work being done in favor of the independence of disabled people with various opportunities. She pointed to the fact that in recent years the rate of participation of people with disabilities in the work sector has doubled, and noted that employers receive support and incentives to employ people with disabilities.
Towards the end of the discussion, Lydia Abela referred to the Special Olympics Invitational Games organized in our country last year where Malta sent a strong message throughout Europe in favor of inclusiveness. She described the Special Olympics as a ray of hope for people with disabilities and wished well for all the athletes gathered in Berlin for the Special Olympics World Games.
