Berlin (dpa) – With over 330,000 spectators, 20,000 volunteers, and 6,500 athletes competing across 26 types of sports, the Special Olympics World Games have raised the profile of inclusion as an issue in Germany. “The most important message is that we have given these athletes a stage which did not exist at the Special Olympics before,” said Sven Albrecht, head of Special Olympics Deutschland and the organisation of World Games for people with intellectual and multiple difficulties. The Games came to an end on Sunday after eight days of competition.
“All 7,000 athletes from around the world are winners,” said Nancy Faeser, the Federal Minister with responsibility for sport. “And we’ve been winners, too. We have presented ourselves to the world as a sport-loving nation and a society which is open to the world. We are a great host for major sporting events like these,” Faeser said.
The closing ceremony took place at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Sunday evening. There are also plans to make other sporting events more inclusive, such as the 2024 UEFA Euro football championships in Germany. “We have set inclusivity standards for major events,” said Juliane Seifert, Secretary of State from the Federal Ministry of the Interior. “The European Championships are the first legacy of the Special Olympics.”
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