More than 70 Special Olympic athletes in the UAE played with confidence as they competed in the region’s first Topgolf tournament for people with development and intellectual disabilities.
The athletes took part in the Special Olympics Topgolf Invitational Tournament in Dubai on Saturday after two months of training with coaches and trainers as part of an effort to make all sports more inclusive.
The athletes took on other Special Olympics athletes at Topgolf venues in the US and the UK in a one-day competition.
It was a day of excitement for the 72 athletes, all beginners in a sport that is not easily accessible to people with special needs.
Emirati national Salma Al Salami, 21, described it as a ‘great’ feeling.
“I have been practising regularly and improving, now I really understand the game,” she said. “In the beginning, I didn’t know how to play but now I can.”
The training helped her learn to control her swing and guide the ball to the target.
“It made me happy and I’m proud to represent the UAE,” said Ms Salami, who also runs, plays table tennis and represented the UAE in snowshoeing at the Special Olympics World Games in Turin in March.
New chapter for UAE
Talal Al Hashemi, national director of Special Olympics UAE, said the tournament strengthened the confidence of athletes and opened the door to further opportunities.
"This tournament represents a new chapter in international empowerment for our athletes,” he said.
“Our athletes made us proud and carried the UAE flag with pride. The UAE remains committed to promoting the full inclusion of people of determination, especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, through meaningful opportunities in sport and beyond.”
More than 90 UAE Special Olympics athletes including Emirati citizens and various nationalities who live in the UAE were part of the national training programme that began in May.
They learnt the basics from gripping a club, taking a swing, playing strokes and were supported with training and coaching twice a week at Topgolf Dubai.
Indian athlete Dinal Ekanayake, 19, said he enjoyed the energy of the sport.
“It was amazing, I loved every moment. There’s a lot of great athletes here,” said Mr Ekanayake who also enjoys riding, tennis, cycling, swimming and basketball.
“I feel very happy here. I learnt how to swing from my coach.”
Making golf accessible
Watching the Special Olympics athletes play with fluidity and interact with others was heartening for Amr Badawi, head of sports and training for Special Olympics UAE.
“Usually it’s hard to introduce golf to our Special Olympics athletes because of the nature of this sport and vast golf grounds,” he said.
“In Special Olympics UAE we have a limited number of maybe five athletes in golf. Now after impactful training we have 70 athletes and that’s great.”
Unlike traditional golf, Topgolf is played throughout the year. Microchips in the golf balls track the distance and accuracy of athletes who are required to hit targets scattered over multiple floors.
“With these vertical playgrounds, you can have 36 players on each floor so we had about 100 athletes playing in the same place for one hour. This was huge access for our athletes,” Mr Badawi said.
“They got technical support that gave them fundamental skills. But there is the other side of the story, which is building relationships, friendships and feeling part of the community. It was amazing to see their smiles and interaction with the Topgolf team and the golf academy members as friends.”
Mike Walton, general manager of Topgolf Dubai, said they were proud to host a first-of-its-kind virtual event in partnership with Special Olympics International.
“The dedication and progress shown by the athletes over the past eight weeks was truly inspiring. We believe this initiative reinforces the inclusive potential of golf and our shared commitment to making the sport accessible to all,” he said.
