Berlin on Thursday became the official host of the 2023 Special Olympics World Games during a ceremony in the German capital. The official contract signing took place at Bellevue Palace in Berlin in the presence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Special Olympics athletes, and representatives from Special Olympics, including Christiane Krajewski, President of Special Olympics Germany, and Dr. Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics International.
Speaking at the official contract signing in Bellevue Palace, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted: “We are already looking forward to the Special Olympics World Games 2023 as a wonderfully colourful event. Anyone who has been to a Special Olympics competition knows what joy it brings both to the athletes and all of the supporters. A major event like the Special Olympics World Games gives Germany the opportunity to not only show what good hosts we are but also send a signal to the world on the importance of inclusion.”
The Games will provide a global platform to showcase the talent of people with intellectual disabilities. In recognition of this, athletes with intellectual disabilities have been engaged in all key decision making connected to the Games. In the course of preparing the bid for the 2023 World Games, 4,500 German athletes with intellectual disabilities were invited to various forum gatherings across Germany to input their vision to the bid’s design.
An athlete committee, made up of athlete leaders from the 14 sub-programmes of Special Olympics Germany, has also been created. In Berlin this week, 60 athletes took part in a two-day forum featuring discussion sessions related to World Games. Issues raised included exploring the barriers faced by people with intellectual disabilities to leading full and equal lives, challenges in employment opportunities, and unequal access to health care and education.
Mark Solomeyer, Special Olympics Germany national athlete representative, said he hoped that the Games would deliver significant change in German society. “We hope these Games will give people with intellectual disabilities more recognition. We want to live unified, both in sport and in society. Through the spirit of sport, we want to celebrate a festival of inclusion in Berlin in 2023.”
