The 12th Provincial Games for Persons with Disabilities & 1st Special Olympics Games of Shandong Province officially opens in Linyi

The 12th Provincial Games for Persons with Disabilities & 1st Special Olympics Games of Shandong Province grandly opened at Linyi Olympic Sports Park on September 17. It is the highest‑standard comprehensive sports event for people with disabilities across Shandong province, marking Linyi's debut as host city for a provincial‑level disabled‑sports gala.

This edition innovatively combines paralympic competitions and special‑olympics events, filling the historical gap of intellectual‑disability athlete participation within Shandong provincial comprehensive disabled‑sports meets. Altogether 21 major categories and 924 sub‑events are scheduled, with around 1,100 gold medals expected to be awarded throughout the competition period.

A total of 17 municipal delegations with more than 2,000 athletes converged in Linyi. All 15 competition venues completed systematic barrier‑free transformation; more than 1,900 volunteers received professional disability‑service training to guarantee smooth operations for the multi‑day sports gathering.

Hosted under the theme Chasing dreams in Yimeng, sharing splendid moments, the opening ceremony merged Yimeng red‑cultural heritage with paralympic‑sports spirit. After the opening, athletics, swimming and various other competitions will get underway, showcasing athletes’courage, persistence and pursuit of self‑transcendence.

Editor：韩蒙蒙