UAE – Mubasher: The Special Olympics World Games 2019, the 10-day event that took place in the UAE in March, achieved AED 957 million in economic output, a study conducted by PwC Middle East revealed.

The games generated a gross value added of more than AED 500 million, with an additional AED 236 million when factoring in-kind contributions through sponsorships and partnerships, the PwC Middle East study added in a report.

The report also showed that almost 8,000 job years were offered to support sectors along the games supply chain, with 279 job years created through the Local Organizing Committee during the two-year period of planning the event.

Moreover, the Local Organizing Committee employed 304 staff from 47 nationalities to manage the games since it was created in 2017.

The report highlighted that nearly 90% of the games’ total procurement expenditure was spent on local suppliers.

Mohamad Al Junaibi, chairman of the Higher Committee of the Special Olympics World Games 2019, said: “Through these Games, we were able to send a message to the World that the UAE is capable of delivering a mega event of an exceptional and global caliber. But more importantly, we were able to showcase to the World the leadership’s commitment towards empowering People of Determination.”

Furthermore, Special Olympics World Games 2019 delivered global media momentum of AED 254 million in media value impact for the UAE, in addition to 6.7 billion social media impressions between 14 and 21 March.