Who, how, what, when and where to see? The sports show answers the most important questions about the Special Olympics World Games, which start on Saturday in Berlin.
What are Special Olympics – and when does it start?
The Special Olympics World Games, or Special Olympics for short, are the world’s largest inclusive sporting event. Around 7,000 athletes with mental and multiple disabilities compete in 26 sports. From June 17th to 25th, 2023, the huge event will take place in Berlin – and thus for the first time in Germany.
What values does Special Olympics want to promote?
Special Olympics supports people with intellectual disabilities not only through sport, but also through global health, education and qualification programs. Overriding goals are visibility, more recognition and self-representation.
In their own words, the organizers in Berlin are looking forward to it “an international, colorful festival of sports for more recognition and social participation of people with intellectual disabilities. All in all, it’s about the connecting power of sport, with the highlight every two years being the Special Olympics World Games”.
What is the difference to the Paralympics?
Special Olympics is a sports movement for people with intellectual disabilities recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The Paralympics are the Olympic Games for athletes with physical disabilities.
When did the movement begin – and by whom?
The founder is the American Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who has made campaigning for more rights and acceptance for people with intellectual disabilities her life’s work. She is the sister of ex-President John F. Kennedy, they both had another mentally disabled sister in Rosemary Kennedy. The idea for the World Games came from an international youth camp in 1963. In 1968, several thousand athletes from the USA and Canada took part in the first Special Olympics World Games in Chicago.
Who can participate?
Athletes must have written proof of their intellectual disability. Minimum age: 16 years. Athletes must have been training for at least three years. Athletes must have previously competed in at least two Special Olympics regional events.
When and where does it rise opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony starts on June 17, 2023 in the Berlin Olympic Stadium at 8:15 p.m., tickets cost between 10 and 35 euros.
Where are the games broadcast on TV?
The opening ceremony comes live on rbb, on sportdeutschland.tv and on Sky. There are daily summaries alternately on ARD and ZDF, and sportdeutschland.tv streams the events live. DAZN has highlight clips and also daily summaries. Sky intervenes live, for example, in athletics, swimming, football and unified sports, shows documentaries and also highlights and summaries. (There is an overview, some with the start times of the transmissions, here)