News Story by: Salman Al-Mutairi TURIN, ITALY, March 11 (KUNA) -- As soon as you join the crowds of fans from different countries on the stage of the stadium located in the municipality of Pragelato in the Italian city of Turin, you are struck by Maryam's smile and her striking self-confidence.
With determination that defies the region's snow and the difficulties of moving around, Maryam is undergoing her first sporting experience in cross-country skiing after intensive training in two camps held in Dubai and Cairo before participating in the 12th Special Olympics World Winter Games (Turin 2025).
Maryam has a number of previous achievements, including her participation in the Berlin Summer Games in 2023, during which she served as the official spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa for the International Special Olympics.
She is currently the Health Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa for the Special Olympics and a member of the Ambition Club for Intellectual Disabilities.
Maryam Theyab told KUNA Monday that she began her athletic career in schools affiliated with the Public Authority for the Disabled until she joined the Kuwaiti (Ambition) Club in 2018, after which she embarked on a long journey of achievements.
In 2018, she participated in her first regional sports competition, specifically in the Jeddah Marathon, attended by 700 competitors, where she won second place. She also participated in the World Down Syndrome Championship in the Czech Republic in the 100-meter run, shot put, and 100-meter walk, indicating that her sports participation gave her more determination and challenge.
Maryam emphasized that the continued support and assistance of her family, officials of the Kuwait Special Olympics, the Ambition Sports Club, and official Kuwaiti bodies enabled her to achieve advanced positions in various local and international forums.
She also stressed that she seeks, in light of this support, to spread the community culture of the importance of integrating people with mental disabilities and empowering them.
Further, Maryam said that she and her colleagues Hajar Al-Rashidi and Abdullah Al-Ali, who are currently participating in the World Winter Games (Turin 2025), are seeking to add a new achievement to the sport of people with intellectual disabilities in the country.
Maryam went on calling every parent to support their children and encourage them to achieve their dreams. (end) slm.aa