Steinmeier, the host nation's head of state since 2017, was joined by Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner and German Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser among the high-profile political figures in attendance at the Opening Ceremony.

The Olympiastadion, built for the highly-controversial Berlin 1936 Olympic Games and renovated for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, served as the venue for a celebration which lasted for nearly three-and-a-half hours.

Among the highlights were Ukraine's team receiving a warm ovation during the Parade of Athletes, Special Olympics International (SOI) chairman Timothy Shriver describing athletes as "the experts at turning every form of pain into triumph", and German table tennis player Sophie Rensmann - a bronze medallist at the last Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi - having the honour of lighting the Special Olympics Flame.

Proceedings began with a pre-show which featured performances from the Federal Police Orchestra Hannover and DTB Showteam Reverse, before the Games song Are you Ready by Madcon preceded Greece leading out 187 nations for the Parade of Athletes.

Countries were paraded around the track on to the stage in alphabetical order, with Ukraine receiving the loudest cheer before hosts Germany entered the stadium.

Russia and Belarus were both blocked from participating in Berlin due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Each participating nation brought water from their country with them to Berlin, and poured it into a basin surrounding the show stage,

The first act of the Ceremony featured a display from the American performance art company Blue Man Group, followed by music from Germany-based singers Jennifer Kothe and Koffi Missah.

An inflatable Brandenburg Gate was carried around the track and 16 hearts danced on the stage, in what was designed as a showcase of the Berlin 2023 anthem Unbeatable Together.

Shriver's speech lavished praise on Germany and Berlin, alluding to the host country and city's history.

He paid tribute to Special Olympics athletes for helping him through the COVID-19 pandemic.

"You athletes know what it's like to have isolation, you know what it's like to be told don't come out, you know what it's like to be told stay home, but somehow you are the experts at turning every form of pain into triumph," Shriver said.

"You've been doing it for all of your lives and you did it for all of us during the pandemic.

"You helped us all through it, and I want to say personally you helped me through it, and I thank you for reminding us that there is nothing more inhuman than being separated from our fellow human beings and there is nothing more powerful than coming together.

"We are unbeatable together."

The SOI chairman since 1996 is the son of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was the sister of former American President John F. Kennedy.

Shriver shared how his mother accompanied the President on his famous visit to Berlin in 1963, in which he delivered his Ich bin ein Berliner speech a little less than two years after the erection of the Berlin Wall.

"He [Kennedy] did not live to see that Wall come down, but my mother did and my mother lived to see her Special Olympics Movement rise up from the dust and the ashes of the walls of institutions and the walls of hatred and the walls of oppression all around the world," he added.

"I only wish that my mother could be here tonight in Berlin to thank you for fulfilling her dream and for teaching the world how to see beautifully."

The Special Olympics flag was carried on to the stage by Olympic and Special Olympics athletes, before being raised to the accompaniment of music from Sabrina Weckerlin and Alexander Klaws.

The second act was themed "we are one world", featuring an inflatable planet earth being paraded around the track and performers from Grupo Puja descending above the Marathon Gate.

Oaths for the Games were taken by American Trent Hampton on behalf of the officials and judges, China's Gao Chengshuang on behalf of the coaches and Germany's Ralf Andrasch on behalf of the athletes.

Steinmeier then declared the Games open after a speech delivered in German, before Rensmann lit the Special Olympics Flame following an eight-leg relay.

The Ceremony concluded with a musical performance from Norwegian duo Madcon, who produced Are you Ready, then the Blue Man Group alongside fireworks from the roof.

Competition at the Special Olympics World Games is due to begin tomorrow and run until the following Sunday (June 25).

Approximately 7,000 athletes are set to compete across 26 sports.