The 2003 Special Olympics World Games will record a small profit when the project is formally wrapped up later this year.
The Games, which were the largest sporting event ever organised in the Republic, are likely to show a surplus of several hundred thousand euro, according to Mr Julian Davis, media relations director.
The organisers comfortably succeeded in raising their targets of €40 million in cash and €20 million in kind which were needed to run the Games, Mr Davis said. Some of this came from funding from the Government and the EU, but the rest was raised through a vigorous programme of corporate and individual fundraising.
Any profits will be reinvested in Special Olympics Ireland and used to develop programmes for athletes competing in future games, he said.
Almost 300 people were employed during the Games, assisted by 30,000 volunteers. Now, two months after the event, the remaining dozen or so staff are winding up the project financially and developing a strategy to build on the success.
"While the Games may be over, the project isn't. It would be futile if no legacy was left behind. One of the big challenges for us is to learn how to tap into the energy of the thousands of volunteers on a longer term basis," Mr Davis said.
The organisers expect to meet their obligations to produce a financial statement within two or three months, he said. At the end of the year, the company established to run the project, 2003 Special Olympics World Games Ltd, would be wound up.
Asked what lasting effect the Games would have, he said they had done much to change people's attitudes towards those with disabilities, and had got large numbers of people involved.
The Games had also had a wider political effect. After they ended, the Taoiseach had promised a rights-based approach to the forthcoming Disability Bill, and an additional €50 million had been allocated for people with learning disabilities.
"That's progress, and should be acknowledged," said Mr Davis. However, the "proof of the pudding" would be seen when the Disability Bill was published.
