DHL delivers Flame of Hope to Dubai to celebrate the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games

The torch will be welcomed by DHL employees, law enforcement officials and 50 Special Olympics athletes and volunteers in a ceremony at Zabeel Park Area A Gate1.

The Flame of Hope began its journey on 12 November 2008 with a lighting ceremony in Athens, Greece.

In accordance with Olympic tradition dating back to the Ancient Greeks, the Special Olympics' torch was lit by the suns rays near Olympia, Greece and will remain lit until the end of the games on 13 February 2009.

The Global Law Enforcement Torch Run event was made possible through the multi-year global partnership between DHL and Special Olympics.

This is the second time DHL is providing support to the Global Law Enforcement Torch Run to ensure the smooth and safe transport of the Flame of Hope around the world.

From 12 November 2008 to 24 January 2009, the Flame of Hope will travel more than 60,000 kilometers (37,000 miles) to 10 cities across five continents, delivering the message of hope to communities where people with intellectual disability continue to fight for acceptance and a chance to excel without barriers.

Janet Jweihan, UAE Country Manager commented:

"Sponsoring and supporting the global Law Enforcement Torch Run for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games provides DHL with a unique opportunity to leverage the resources of its network provide the flexible and creative logistics solutions. It gives us great pleasure to be part of the Flame of Hope Relay; that strongly echoes DHL's core competency and corporate philosophy, which seeks to support diversity and fair opportunities and social change."

Mr. Mohamed Al Hameli, SO UAE and MENA Games GOC Chairman, added: "We are extremely proud to have the Flame of Hope passing through the UAE. This is a movement of hope and this flame is a symbol of that hope. Today's event is historic for our movement and a tribute to the courage and dedication of our athletes."

After the Torch Run, the Flame will depart for Abu Dhabi.

The transport process from one location to the other involves stringent security processes and screening, with DHL security staff members escorting the torch throughout the entire journey.

DHL had to overcome several logistics challenges to transport the torch safely around the world, such as regulations requiring the flame to be transferred from the torch to a miner's lamp during flight; the lamp is filled with liquid paraffin approved by civil aviation authorities, and must be refilled every 24 hours.

The transport process also involves stringent security processes and screening, with DHL security staff members escorting the torch throughout the entire journey.

As with all shipments, the torch is tracked and traced via DHL's Quality Control Centers, and scanned at every exit and entry point during the Torch's journey around the world.

The flame will complete its global journey 27 January 2009 when it reaches Idaho, USA to begin the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg.

It will be run through scores of cities in Idaho, carried by a 132-person team, including 10 Special Olympics athletes, before arriving to Boise, where it will ignite the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the 2009 World Winter Games on 7 February.

The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho will host almost 3,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from more than 100 countries from 7-13 February 2009.

During the six day event, athletes will compete in seven winter sport events including: Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Floor Hockey, Snowboarding, and Speed Skating.

The Olympic torch was lit in Athens for the first time in 1896, and today continues to serve as a symbol of strength and determination for athletes from around the world. Special Olympics recently announced its 2011 World Summer Games will be held in Athens.

Ecement Torch Run
The Law Enforcement Torch Run has been a Special Olympics tradition for more than 25 years. It began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas, Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw a need to raise funds and increase awareness for Special Olympics, and conceived the Torch Run as a way to involve local law enforcement personnel in the community to support Special Olympics Kansas. The program was later adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and under their support and leadership has expanded into all 50 U.S. states and to 42 nations. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is Special Olympics' largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle; more than 85,000 law enforcement officers from around the world volunteer for the movement. In 200, more than $34m was raised for Special Olympics Programs worldwide.