Leaders meet at Special Olympics World Games in Turin to boost global inclusion

As a longstanding strong supporter of Special Olympics and its mission of global inclusion, we were delighted to attend the Special Olympics Flame of Hope torch lighting ceremony in Athens and were incredibly proud to march in the Opening Ceremony in Turin alongside the 15 incredible Special Olympics Hellas competing in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and dance events. 

As part of the Games, Special Olympics held a workshop on its Global Leadership Coalition for Inclusion at which Ambassador Vasilis Kaskarelis, Senior Advisor to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Board of Directors, delivered closing remarks.

The Global Leadership Coalition for Inclusion, which launched at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin in 2023, is a collaboration between governments, businesses, philanthropic entities, and nonprofits for which SNF provides support. The national governments joining the Coalition have pledged to expand Special Olympics Unified sports and education programs with the aim of reaching two million young people in more than 150,000 schools over five years. The Coalition has grown to encompass countries on five continents.

“We truly believe that together, though collaborative action, we can choose to make social integration a reality for every school, every sports club, and every community around the world,” said Ambassador Kaskarelis in his remarks."

We wish our very best to all the athletes competing in Turin!