The Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) will sponsor a race for special athletes that will take place on Sunday, May 28 in Maputo City.

The race, called 'Corrida dos Mais Extraordinários', is part of the 3rd edition of the Maputo International Half Marathon.

The event will allow children and young people with special needs to take part, namely those with autism, Down's syndrome and other psycho-social disabilities.

For the race, the Port of Maputo, in coordination with the organization of the Half Marathon, has defined a route that starts on Avenida 25 de Setembro and ends next to the statue of Samora Machel, in the center of Independence Square.

Athletes can walk the entire route with their companions, who can be their parents, guardians, teachers or supporters of the cause.

Participating in the race are members of the Porto + project (the Port of Maputo's inclusive employment project), children and young people from the Center for Education and Rehabilitation of Disabled Citizens (CERCI), the Portuguese School of Mozambique and Woodrose International/Fundação Archer Sarmento, among others.

The pioneering initiative is being carried out with the aim of promoting the social inclusion of people with special needs through the visibility and media coverage of the Maputo International Half Marathon, considered to be the main athletics event in the country.

For Osório Lucas, executive director of MPDC, "this action aims to demonstrate that people with special needs have the right to be integrated into society, employment, education or sport, and that they can exercise this right to the full, proving themselves useful and capable".

"These Extraordinaries will be the first to cross the finish line, just as they can be the first to occupy a relevant and useful space in society and in the workplace," he said.

The Port of Maputo has been supporting causes linked to social inclusion since 2011, and has been at the forefront of several projects. In 2019, it launched an inclusive project called 'Porto +', through which it provided employment for 15 people with various types of disability.

Some of these 15 employees will also take part in the 'Most Extraordinary Race', showing that, regardless of their limitations, they are capable of overcoming various challenges.

With the 'Porto +' project, MPDC's main aim is to "normalize" disability, making an impact on society as a whole and encouraging more companies to follow suit by offering the same job opportunities.

The Port of Maputo is thus positioning itself as "A Port made of Extraordinaries", the motto that guides the 20-year anniversary campaign that the organization is celebrating this year.