Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi generated Dh1b

United group perfoms during closing ceremony of Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 held at Zayed Sports City.-Photo by Ryan Lim/Khaleej Times

The Special Olympics World Games 2019 has generated a whopping Dh957 million and created nearly 8,000 'job years' throughout its 10-day run, according to a study by PwC Middle East.
The value represented the total sales of goods and services as well as sponsorships during the mega event, the largest in the history of Special Olympics.
"The World Games in Abu Dhabi had been a unique catalyst for the inclusion of people of determination within the UAE society, as well as globally. The positive economic contribution from the event resulted from the new event delivery model demonstrated by the local organising committee," said Laurent Depolla, the PwC Middle East partner who led the impact assessment study.
Thousands of jobs were created in the supporting sectors alone, and when the two-year planning period is taken into account, an additional 279 job years were found to have been created.
The findings were revealed at the closing higher committee meeting of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, chaired by Mohamad Abdulla Al Junaibi.
At the meeting, the leadership team of the local organising committee presented other record-breaking metrics.
Besides the participation of over 7,000 athletes from 200 countries, the Games attracted over half a million spectators, with more than 18,000 coming from overseas for an average 10-day stay.
Extensive awareness campaigns, as well as strategic media partnerships around the world, also delivered a global media momentum and Dh254 million in media value impact for the UAE, as well as 6.7 billion social media impressions between March 14 and 21.
Al Junaibi said: "We are humbled and proud of the achievements that the UAE demonstrated through these findings. Through these Games, we were able to send a message to the world that the UAE is capable of delivering a mega event of an exceptional and global calibre. But more importantly, we were able to showcase to the world the leadership's commitment towards empowering people of determination."