Inclusion through sports: Special Olympics 2025 in Potsdam and Berlin!

Inclusion through sports: Special Olympics 2025 in Potsdam and Berlin!

Potsdam, Deutschland - Today in Potsdam and Berlin the sports world will color a little bit, because the "Special Olympics state games" start and move around 800 athletes with mental and multiple impairment in competition and celebration. Under the motto # -inclusion movement , the event takes place from July 10th to 13th, 2025 and also serves as a qualification competition for the national games 2026 in Saarland and the "Special Olympics World Games" 2027 in Chile. The venues are diverse, with the airship port Potsdam as the main venue and other events in the Sportforum Berlin-Weißensee .

Participation in these special games is enthusiastic: the athletes compete against each other in a total of twelve different sports, while a free supporting program with health and educational offers welcomes visitors. Movement offers without a competitive character are also organized for all people, regardless of their skills. Sports Minister Steffen Freiberg will officially open the games, while Minister of Social Affairs Britta Müller will accompany the final ceremony in Potsdam on July 12th. The event receives generous support from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs as well as the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, which provide a total of over 42,500 euros to enable this great initiative.

including sporting events all over Germany

parallel to the national games in Potsdam and Berlin, the Special Olympics Rhineland-Palatinate 2025 are held in Mainz. This event takes place from May 20 to 22 and brings over 970 participants as well as numerous coaches and volunteers. Here, too, the focus is on the special funding of people with disabilities, including formats such as unified sports . Athlete spokesman Francisco Galante from Polch, which is active in the inclusion team, is committed to visibility and inclusion of people with intellectual impairment and shows that sport can build bridges.

The Special Olympics movement, which was launched in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy-Shriver , has now developed into the largest sports movement for people with impairments that are even recognized by the International Olympic Committee. In addition to the sporting competitions, she also promotes social awareness of inclusion. Integrative approaches in sports are of great importance, as studies show that underline the positive interaction of people with and without disabilities. These community activities can reduce prejudices and reduce social distance, which is particularly important in a society that is often characterized by differences.

a step towards inclusion

Despite the progress in the past decades that have been achieved in organized disabled sports in Germany, the path to complete inclusion is still a long way. The UN Convention on the Rights of Disabilities , which has been in Germany since 2009, demands equal participation in sports activities for everyone and shows that there is still a need for action here. There are already numerous including sports projects, but the real structures have to be further improved so that participation for people with disabilities is possible without restrictions.

During the sporting competitions in Potsdam and Berlin and Mainz, it becomes once again clear that sports not only create community, but also to strengthen joie de vivre, recognition and self -confidence. In this way, the sport becomes a connecting element that brings our society a little closer together.