ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia’s athletes continued to win multiple events during the Special Olympics World Games here Saturday.

Saudi Arabia’s Hassan Al-Hadhariti, 23, showed true strength at the powerlifting competition. He took home gold in combined squat, bench press and deadlift; gold in squat; gold in deadlift; and silver in bench press. His teammate, Nasser Aldawsari, 22, achieved bronze in squat.

Meanwhile, the Saudi men’s basketball team won against Finland 31-13.

Competing in Dubai, Ali Al-Qahtani, 30, clinched a bronze in the 50m freestyle swimming competition.

Hassan Al-Hadhariti said: “Powerlifting has taught me a lot about discipline and control. Now, winning these medals for the Kingdom has made me feel very proud.”

As the largest team ever to represent Saudi Arabia at Special Olympics World Games, 50 athletes — 21 female and 29 male — will participate in 10 disciplines throughout the event, including basketball, bocce, athletics, powerlifting, roller skating, swimming, triathlon, table tennis, bowling and unified sports. They were accompanied by a delegation including representatives from Special Olympics Saudi Arabia Federation (SOSAF), coaches, and healthcare professionals, as well as their family and more than 200 volunteers from Saudi Arabia. Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 will see more than 7,500 athletes from 192 nations compete in 24 sports from March 14-21.

Following the World Games 2019, Saudi Arabia Special Olympics Federation will continue to support Special Olympics athletes through a comprehensive ecosystem of programs, including athletics and physical activity coaching, healthcare, and more. — SG