Katarina Witt enthusiastically: Inclusion at the Leipzig gymnastics festival in focus!

Katarina Witt enthusiastically: Inclusion at the Leipzig gymnastics festival in focus!

Leipzig, Deutschland - On June 1, 2025, the second edition of the "Inclusive Winning" initiative took place as part of the Leipzig gymnastics festival. The competition offered including formats in which both Olympic and Paralympic and Special Olympics athletes took part. Patron Katarina Witt was satisfied with the event, but noticed that there were still room for improvement, especially with regard to the number of spectators.
LVZ.de Disciplines such as judo and gymnastics were introduced. For the first time, judokas competed against each other with different visual impairments. The captain of JC Leipzig, Hannes Conrad, fought against Lennart Sass, who won bronze at the Paralympic Games in 2024. Conrad noticed that Sass ’visual impairment had little influence on the dynamics during the fight.

When gymnastics, tandems from gymnasts performed with and without handicap in front of almost 1000 spectators. Annabelle Czech-Löffler, ambassador for the gymnastics festival, brought valuable experiences from the Special Olympics. Katarina Witt, who greeted the audience together with presenter Silke Beickert, also presented the medals to the athletes.

diverse sports and performance comparisons

The event included judo and gymnastics also competitions in sitting volleyball, badminton and other disciplines. These sports were specially adapted to compensate for physical differences and make the competition fair. So the judokas started in the handle, which influenced the course of the fights. Thomas Bauerfeld from the Leipzig Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association said that the switch to sitting volleyball was challenging for some athletes.

The competitive formats enable a direct performance comparison in which the winner of the athlete is the first to cross the finish line. This innovative approach is intended to ensure that the focus is on sporting performance and not the disability itself.
ardmediathek.de emphasizes that the event pursues the goal of creating an inclusive platform for all athletes.

Inclusion in sport: The due change

Inclusion in sports goes beyond the organization and implementation of such events. According to an article by the Federal Center for Political Education, it is necessary to reduce barriers and to sustainably promote the social participation of people with impairments. For example, the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabilities from 2006 was necessary to request equal participation.
bpb.de There are still numerous challenges to establish, including structures. Despite the progress in recent decades, there are still deficits in the training of trainers and the accessibility of sports facilities.

In summary, it can be said that the initiative "Inclusive wins" and similar projects are an important step towards inclusion. They show how sporting activities can help to reduce prejudices and promote social acceptance. However, the path to complete inclusion continues to require a change in mentality and comprehensive changes in society.