Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Dublin

Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Dublin
Source: BonJovi.com

SPECIAL OLYMPICS: DUBLIN
(Monday, June 23, 2003)

On Saturday night, June 21st, the Opening Ceremonies for the Special Olympics International Games took place at Croake Park in Dublin. Just as they do with the regular Olympic games, all the athletes march into the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies by country. Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan and Richie Sambora (along with their wives & children) proudly marched into the stadium accompanying the American athletes. Then, they all returned to the stands to watch the rest of the opening ceremonies - except for Jon, who took the stage to welcome the athletes, their families and the host families and volunteers and citizens of Dublin who made the event possible. He gave tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who started the Special Olympics as a small local backyard event and grew it into an international phenomenon. And he then introduced a video on the growth of the Special Olympics program worldwide. The entire event was televised live on national TV in Ireland. No word on whether the program will air elsewhere around the world. (The Opening Ceremonies themselves were an unbelievable spectacle including performances by Ronan Tyning, The Corrs, Ronan Keating and U2 plus appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Farrell and Muhammed Ali, as well as many other dignitaries, including the President of Ireland and Nelson Mandela. The evening was capped off with the Olympic torch being lit and a huge fireworks display.)