Special Olympics Europe Eurasia

A weekend of fruitful dialogue, analysis and, of course, Unified Sports! From 6 to 8 September, the Special Olympics Europe Eurasia (SOEE) Unified Sports Expert Group (UNEX) met in Vienna to discuss the current situation of Unified Sports in the region. The ten participants representing eight Programs worked with SOEE staff to develop a set of new approaches to expand high-quality Unified Sports programming in the coming years. This meeting was kindly supported by Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF). #specialolympics Lions Clubs International Special Olympics Matteo Secchi

Join us tomorrow for our global webinar on family engagement! 📅 Families, athletes, and staff are all welcome to attend and hear from our esteemed global family leaders. 🏡 We will share exciting family engagement highlights and introduce our new family engagement resources. Don't miss out on this opportunity and register now! 📝 Register here: https://lnkd.in/g5AtX24s #ChooseToInclude #SpecialOlympics

Special Olympics Europe Eurasia offers its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and the entire Special Olympics Spain community on the passing of National Director Enric Blesa. SOEE President David Evangelista said: “Enric was an extraordinary individual and a dedicated leader for our movement for over two decades. He was instrumental to the growth of Special Olympics Spain and contributed significantly to so many global initiatives over the years." "From access to health services to motor activity training to refugee support to a truly national sports platform and so much more, Enric left no stone unturned as part of his passion to empower the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sport. He leaves a legacy that will continue to inspire so many across the Special Olympics movement." #SpecialOlympics Special Olympics

Congratulations to Niall Guite on being awarded an honorary degree from Sheffield Hallam University! Niall has been a dedicated Special Olympics Great Britain athlete. His impressive achievements include winning a gold medal in basketball at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, USA, and a gold and silver in cycling at the 2023 World Games in Berlin, Germany. Niall has recently been elected to the Special Olympics Regional Athlete Leadership Council for 2024-27, where he will ensure that athletes' voices are heard throughout the movement. Niall said: “I feel very proud to have been offered this award. I am happy to be sharing this moment with my family, friends, and community, to be recognised in this way is very special and as someone with a learning disability, I want this to be a message to everyone, that we all have a responsibility to help each other be the best we can possibly be.” #SpecialOlympics Niall Guite Special Olympics Great Britain Special Olympics Sheffield Hallam University

From the Special Olympics World Games to the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Run, Fanélie Croizat is not only Special Olympics France's "little fabulous lady" but a true champion for inclusion! "Sports bring people together. Sports help with making sure no one is ever alone." - Fanélie Croizat Read more: https://lnkd.in/djTPKJK8 📸 Special Olympics France #SpecialOlympics #ChooseToInclude #Paris2024 #CocaCola #UnChampionEnChacunDeNous The Coca-Cola Company

Special Olympics France Athlete Leader Sulayman Debbah had the incredible honour of carrying the Paralympic torch prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games. This proud moment was made possible through the support of our valued partner Toyota Motor Europe. A huge congratulations to Sulayman for such distinction! #SpecialOlympics #Paralympics #Paris2024 📷 Paris 2024 - Servanne Roy Berton Special Olympics Special Olympics France Toyota Motor Europe

Did you know that Special Olympics International (SOI) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are two separate organisations recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)? Both are non-profit global sports organisations focusing on athletes with disabilities. What Makes Us Different? THE ATHLETES Special Olympics athletes have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Athletes of all ability levels have the opportunity to train and compete in over 30 Olympic-type sports. Through the power of sports, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and success. GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT Special Olympics is the largest grassroots sports organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the world: reaching over 4 million athletes and Unified Sports® partners, one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers nearly 50,000 games and competitions every year over 200 countries. WORLD GAMES Special Olympics World Games are held independently from the Olympics & the Paralympic Games. Alternating every two years between summer and winter, Special Olympics World Games are the flagship events and have grown to be an international demonstration of inclusion, acceptance, and unity. All around the world our athletes train and strive to achieve their very best every day. The next Special Olympics World Winter Games will take place in Turin, Italy in 2025 – JOIN US. #Turin2025 #specialolympics #ChooseToInclude Special Olympics Special Olympics France Special Olympics Italia

"There is no way for us as human beings to understand what confidence is unless we’ve felt fear. There is no way for us to appreciate success unless we’ve really screwed up. There is no way for us to recognize true happiness unless we’ve navigated sadness." In this insightful piece, SOEE President & Managing Director David Evangelista reflects on vulnerability, truth, and the vital role our movement plays in supporting some of the world’s most marginalized communities. Read here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/euiyJdCr #SpecialOlympics David Evangelista Special Olympics

Our partners at UPS never fail to show the strength of their commitment and the Special Olympics Ireland Plane Pull 2024 is the unassailable proof! Strong and motivated UPS employees teamed up in a race to pull a plane over the finish line to support Special Olympics Ireland and ranked at the two top positions on the podium. Thank you, UPS! #SpecialOlympics #ChooseToInclude #DeliverWhatMatters #UPS #UPSEurope

Every month, our ‘Meet the Team’ series takes you behind the scenes at Special Olympics Europe Eurasia to get to know one of our regional team members. This month, we are meeting David Stephen Evangelista, President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Europe Eurasia.  In this role, David oversees a vast region of almost 60 countries. He describes the key focus of his work as supporting and empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities and building sustainable multi-sector networks of support to make inclusion a reality for all throughout Europe-Eurasia.    To those interested in pursuing a career in inclusive development, David Evangelista recommends gaining a deep understanding of international relations and how these interconnected relationships shape the world around us. “International relations forms the basis for creating connectivity throughout the region- blending experiences with values, principles, a common vision, despite the often vast differences in culture, ideology, economy, and politic.”    David travels the breadth of the Europe Eurasia region in this role and finds himself energized by the multitude of opportunities to learn from Special Olympics athletes and the diverse set of cultures that make up the movement. In his words, “Inclusion is both a contact sport and an urgent global issue. Only as a collective can we, as a connected international community, affect this change.”   In his spare time, David enjoys reading up on international relations and history, playing golf, cooking, and music.  #SpecialOlympics