Nelson Mandela will declare the games open

Mr Mandela arrived at Dublin Airport on Thursday ahead of the tournament which is being held in the Irish capital between 21-29 June.

Billed as the largest sporting event of 2003, cities and towns throughout Ireland are hosting more than 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches and 28,000 delegates.

Mr Mandela and boxing legend Muhammad Ali will join performers such as U2 and the Corrs for the opening ceremony at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday.

Other guests of honour will include film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Irish President Mary McAleese and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, while comedian Patrick Kielty will be master of ceremonies.

The games have never before been held outside the United States.

Meanwhile, many of the Special Olympics athletes have been spending time in Northern Ireland.

The first of three planes bringing Team USA for the summer games arrived at Belfast International Airport on Monday.

The Iraqi, Argentinian and Australian Special Olympics team, have also been spending time in the province.

The arrival of the Special Olympics torch in the province last Friday heralded the official countdown to the start of the tournament.

Disabilities

The Flame of Hope was welcomed to Bangor, County Down, having been lit in Athens 10 days previously.

It was then carried through more than 170 towns in Ireland before arriving in Dublin.

More than 430 Irish athletes with learning disabilities will take part in 13 different sports in the Special Olympics.

The Bocce team, whose event is similar to bowls, are all from Northern Ireland.

Belfast has been hosting in the region of 1,300 athletes and backroom staff from the US team, while more than 20 towns across Northern Ireland had also agreed to host competitors.

A big crowd is expected for the opening ceremony on 21 June at Croke Park, the fourth largest stadium in Europe.

The games attracted controversy in recent weeks, following a request by the Irish Government for countries affected by the pneumonia-like disease, Sars, not to send teams to the games.

Competitors from China, Taiwan, and Singapore, which have all had substantial outbreaks of Sars, had been asked not to travel to Ireland for the event.

The World Health Organisation has criticised the decision, describing it as inconsistent with the latest guidelines for controlling attendances at large events.

A previous ban on athletes from Hong Kong and the Phillipines was later lifted.