Described as the "Olympics for athletes with Down syndrome," the Trisome Games, with 488 athletes from 33 countries, will kick off in Antalya tomorrow with the opening ceremony.
Organized by the International Down Syndrome Sports Federations (SUDS), the 2024 edition of the Trisome Games, the second of its kind, expects over 800 participants from 33 countries, including athletes, coaches, officials and escorts, in sports such as futsal, basketball, athletics, swimming, gymnastics, judo, tennis and table tennis.
The second edition of the Down Syndrome World Sports Games (Trisome), which was first held in Florence, Italy, in 2016, will take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from March 20 to 26.
Türkiye will compete with 86 athletes in eight disciplines at the 2024 Trisome Games, with the opening ceremony scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Antalya Sports Hall.
Teams from 33 countries, including the United States, Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Croatia, Ireland, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and Venezuela, have registered for the event.
The games in Antalya will take place in five different sports facilities for eight disciplines.
Athletics and gymnastics will be held at the Zeytinköy Sports Complex, while futsal, basketball, judo and table tennis will be held at the Antalya Sports Hall.
Swimming will take place at the Antalya Swimming Pool, and tennis will be held at the ATK Tennis Club Facilities.
Birol Aydın, president of the Turkish Special Athletes Sports Federation (TÖSSFED), expressed pride in hosting the world's most special athletes in Antalya with such a large-scale event.
"I wish the Trisome Games in Antalya to leave beautiful memories for all participants. Here, we will also hold the world championships for eight disciplines. I wish the best of luck to these excellent athletes who will compete. Our athletes with Down syndrome are a source of pride for us. As a federation, we are always by their side, supporting them," he said.
Aydın stated that they work to overcome obstacles and reach all children with Down syndrome in the country to introduce them to sports, saying, "Our goal is to ensure that our athletes with Down syndrome can participate in all sports competitions comfortably and happily. In addition, the contribution of our athletes with Down syndrome to employment is very valuable to us. Their determination, resilience in dealing with problems and outlook on life encourage us to work harder for them."
Aydın also highlighted that Antalya has proven itself as a city for international events, saying: "In Antalya, where more than 800 athletes and their families from 33 countries have arrived for the games, we will show our hospitality to all participants. On this occasion, I express my gratitude to all our supporters and sponsors, including our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, and our Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş. I wish all coaches, managers, officials, volunteers, referees and athletes with Down syndrome participating in the competitions a memorable sports event where they will gain beautiful memories. We are proud of our athletes with Down syndrome and we invite you all to the 2024 Trisome Games."
