The Special Olympics World Games in Berlin got off to a celebratory start on Saturday evening (06/17/2023) with a colorful and cheerful ceremony. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially declared the world’s largest inclusive sporting event open at 11:08 p.m. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz also attended the ceremony in front of around 50,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium.
The US-American Trent Hampton as the representative of the officials, the Chinese Gao Chengshuang as the representative of the coaches and the German footballer Ralf Andrasch as the representative of the athletes had previously taken the oath.
Around 7000 athletes from 190 nations
Around 7000 athletes with mental and multiple disabilities from 190 countries will compete against each other in 26 sports until June 25th.
The World Games are the largest multi-sport event in Germany since the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and are being held in Germany for the first time. Around 300,000 visitors are expected to attend the competitions in the federal capital.
tennis player Sophie Rensmann lights the flame at the marathon gate
German tennis player Sophie Rensmann ignited the flame at the marathon gate. In the city where sport was misused for propaganda purposes at the Nazi Games in 1936, messages of cosmopolitanism, inclusion and participation are now to be conveyed.
“We are one world” – “we are one world” and “unbeatable together” – “unbeatable together” were the mottos of the show programmes, in which the well-known show group “Blue Man Group” created a good atmosphere.
When the athletes marched in, the German delegation and the Ukrainian delegation received the greatest applause. Prominent “friends of the games” such as basketball icon Dirk Nowitzki contributed glamor factor with verbal contributions.
For a little more than a week, the focus should now be on those who otherwise have to fight for public perception. There is great hope for lasting improvements. “Currently less than ten percent of all German clubs offer sports for people with physical and mental disabilities,” Nowitzki had already criticized on Saturday morning: “This is a pity. We hope that an event like this here in Germany will raise awareness even more.”
Politicians and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) are also hoping for a signal effect – and not just when it comes to inclusion. The feeling of unity should spread over the city until the end of the event and pave the way for the Olympic Games in Germany. “If this major sporting event is a success, then that is the application for other major sporting events“said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
The schedule of the Special Olympic World Games in Berlin at a glance.