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Cheers to our Athletes!

What a fantastic and spectacular Opening Ceremony! Hundreds of Irish supporters, volunteers and family members had the opportunity to cheer on our 141 Special Olympics Ireland athletes at the Opening Ceremony of the 2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai last night. Escorted by Hollywood heartthrob Colin Farrell, TEAM Ireland athletes beamed with pride as they paraded into the arena with the other 164 delegations.

Fleets of buses ferried the green clad army of almost 300 volunteers and over 400 family members to Shanghai Stadium where 70,000 people from all around the world celebrated the Opening Ceremony. Each attendee received a coloured scarf, fan, torch, drum and lots of other goodies to help them to add to the colour and spectacle of the unforgettable ceremony.

The Chinese President, Mr. Hu Jintao, officially opened the Games, which were watched by millions worldwide. The remarkable 3 hour long ceremony was visually spectacular with extravagant displays of fireworks throughout, and a fantastic show that featured almost 6,000 performers.

The Irish delegation was thrilled by the level of effort that the Chinese organising committee has put into all aspects of the Games so far. From translation services to transport loops, every effort is being made to make the trip to Shanghai a memorable one.

Family members paid compliment to the organisational abilities of our hosts and wondered at the scale of the stunning ceremony where years of selfless effort by athletes, families, supporters, coaches and volunteers all came together, generating great emotion expressed in terms of pride and gratitude and no doubt resonating with the spirit of the Chinese instrumental piece ‘Full of Joy’.

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