The Special Olympics were launched with a bang with singing superstar Stevie Wonder and Ugly Betty’s very own Vanessa Williams last Saturday in Athens.
Special Olympians from all over the world, including 130 Australian athletes, were there for the opening ceremony of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games. More than 7,500 athletes with mental disabilities from 185 countries will take part in the Special Olympics, which begins today and will end on 4 July. The historic Panathenian (Kallimarmaro) Stadium in central Athens, the venue of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, played host to officials, athletes and the entertainment world’s juggernauts of artists. Greece’s President Karolos Papoulias declared the opening of the Special Olympics after the parade of athletes and members of the national delegations into the stadium.
The highlight of the opening was a performance by the legend himself Stevie Wonder, who opened with his song “You can feel it” followed by “You are the sunshine of my life”. Wonder also performed a duet of “That’s what friends are for” with long-time Special Olympics supporter and recording artist Vanessa Williams, who co-hosted the show with noted Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis. The opening ceremony also featured a rendition of Homer’s Odyssey, and performances by popular Greek singer Alkistis Protopsalti with Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, and special presentations by actresses Zhang Ziyi and Maria Menounos.
After President Papoulias officially declared the games opened, the Special Olympics flag was carried into the stadium by Pyrros Dimas, Nadia Comaneci, Edwin Moses, Michelle Kwan, Jermaine Edie, Ana Milivojevic and Ana Eduarda.
