The countdown to the 2003 Special Olympics World Games started in earnest today as some 7,000 athletes from around the world flew in to Dublin and Belfast en route to 177 host towns on both sides of the border.
The event will be the biggest sporting event worldwide this year. It is the first time in the history of the games that they have been held outside the United States.
The first competitors from Team USA, the largest contingent with nearly 1,200 participants, arrived in Belfast's Aldergrove Airport while eight participants from Iraq also arrived in the North today.
As the sportsmen and women were welcomed from their aircraft by pipers, holidaying and business passengers stopped and spontaneously clapped to welcome the athletes and their followers.
Speaking at the official send-off ceremony for Team Ireland at Collins Barracks, Dublin this afternoon, the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said it was a great honour for Ireland to host the games.
Paying tribute to the athletes and their coaches and helpers, Mr O'Donoghue said he could "only marvel" at their total dedication.
"I wish you well as you embark on this great adventure. I hope that you perform to your potential and that after your event is finished that you feel that you have fulfilled your ambition and that you have achieved what you set out to achieve."
The official opening ceremony for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games takes place this Saturday at Croke Park in Dublin. Some 75,000 people are expected to pack the grounds for the event, at which U2, The Corrs and Samantha Mumba will perform.
It has been confirmed that boxing legend Muhammad Ali will be among the celebrities who will attend. Other celebrated figures due to attend the opening ceremony include the former South African President Nelson Mandela and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Additional reporting by PA