Ireland's special Olympians, their coaches, supporters and relatives gathered in Dublin's Croke Park yesterday for a pre-competition rally.
In an upbeat event which steered clear of the ongoing SARS controversy, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, wished the 438 contestants good luck in next month's competitions.
The Irish team will be the second largest competing in the games after the US delegation. Irish athletes will participate in 14 of the 21 categories, including aquatics, 10-pin bowling, gymnastics, soccer, table tennis and badminton. The team, drawn from all four provinces, was chosen following the Special Olympics national games held last June.
The chairman of Special Olympics Ireland, Mr Cyril Freeney, congratulated the athletes for the commitment shown in their training. "The extensive training programme currently under way will ensure that come June 21st, when the World Games begin, Ireland will have the best ever prepared team to participate in a world games."
Mr Ahern was presented with an official team outfit by Ms Anne Hickey, a former Ireland medal winner who is now a global ambassador for the Special Olympics.