Greek President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias will officially declare the opening of the "Athens 2011" Special Olympics on June 25, at the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens.
This was announced on Tuesday by the head of the Special Olympics organising committee Joanna Despotopoulou, who also unveiled details of the opening and closing ceremonies, overseen by Fokas Evangelinos.
The opening ceremony will feature a greeting by Prime Minister George Papandreou and Special Olympics International Chairman Dr. Timothy Shriver, while several heads of state, ministers, athletes and celebrities will be among the guests on the opening night.
Music legend Stevie Wonder and his band will be in charge of the music at the opening ceremony. Presenters during the ceremony will be local television celebrity Giorgos Kapoutzidis and US celebrity Maria Menounos.
Despotopoulou noted that both the opening and closing ceremonies had been designed "with a sense of moderation" and that they were the only events during the Special Olympics where one needed a ticket to attend, inviting all to attend and contribute to the Special Olympics movement.
ANA-MPA
More info: www.athens2011.org
