Special Olympics Africa

Did you know that Special Olympics International (SOI) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are two separate organizations recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Both are non-profit global sports organizations 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 Paralympics 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

🔥 Just 200 days until the Flame of Hope is ignited in Athens, Greece, marking the start of the Special Olympics World Games #Turin2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Final Leg. The Final Leg team—comprising of dedicated Law Enforcement officers from around the globe and 8 inspiring Special Olympics athletes—will carry The Flame of Hope across Italy, culminating in the Opening Ceremony on March 8th. Follow the journey and stay updated on #SpecialOlympics and #LETRforso social media channels, or visit https://brnw.ch/21wLLtM to learn more. Let’s keep the spirit of unity and inclusion burning bright! #ChooseToInclude #TheFutureIsHere

🌟 Meet Our Keynote Speaker: Nyasha Derera! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce Nyasha Derera as one of our keynote speakers for our upcoming SENIA Unplugged: Inclusive Insights virtual conference. Nyasha is not only an accomplished short and long-distance runner but also holds several leadership roles within the Special Olympics. As a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger (SSIGM), he hopes to become a voice for the voiceless. Having overcome numerous challenges and achieved significant successes, Nyasha aims to inspire and empower others through his journey and experiences. Join us to hear Nyasha's incredible story and be inspired by his resilience and dedication! https://lnkd.in/grfnRYek #SENIAInternational #SENIAUnplugged #VirtualConference #KeynoteSpeaker #NyashaDerera #SpecialOlympics

⚽ Special Olympics Coaches Pave the Way for Women in Football with Nike This year, Nike sponsored a Special Olympics initiative called the Nike Unified Football Leagues Development project, providing coaches with additional training and growth opportunities. Additionally, the project sought to provide more leadership opportunities for women in the form of coaching — with this, these coaches were empowered to be role models, educate themselves and progress in their abilities and skills. 329 coaches participated in instruction designed to better include girls and women, with and without intellectual disability, to participate in football. 5 of the coaches who participated are part of Special Olympics Africa Region: Susan David (Special Olympics Namibia) and Jerussa Kangwana (Special Olympics Kenya). Read more: https://lnkd.in/dM4bQZfy

Thanks to the incredible work from the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), generous funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, and support from Special Olympics Germany and Special Olympics Africa, over 200 coaches in Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will receive training by the end of the year. This remarkable program continues the legacy of the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, promoting inclusion and athletic excellence throughout Africa. Full story: https://lnkd.in/ewAhaf4i #SpecialOlympics German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) Special Olympics Special Olympics Africa

The flame of Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics has reached new borders at a training for 21 senior police officers from 7 regions of Tanzania, including the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. The team was led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Paschal Bernard Nkuba from Tanzania, who is also the Head of the Sports Department. What’s next: There has been a high demand for such training in the Africa Region as Special Olympics awareness increases in the local communities. Additional training will be carried out in several Programs in the coming months, and during the 2024 Special Olympics Africa Leadership Conference.

This year, Coaches Training has increased across the Africa Region with successful events most recently in Cote d'Ivoire, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, and Zambia. We share some highlights below!

Glad to report the just Football for sustainability summit that was held in Berlin, Germany on the 11th and 12th of July 2024. It was attended by many significant contributors such as: Rio Ferdinand, Tabea Kemme, Benjamin Adrion and Verónica Boquete, as well as Laura McAllister, Vice President of UEFA, Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Federation, Michele Uva, Director Social & Environmental Sustainability of UEFA, Steffen Simon, Director "Public and Fans" of the DFB, Ronan Evain, Executive Director Football Supporters Europe, Joachim Walltin, CEO FIFPRO Europe, and Special Olympics Germany Sven Albrecht, who spoke on the legacy of major sports events following Germany hosting the Special Olympics World Games held in Berlin in 2023.   The Football for Sustainability Summit marked a unique opportunity to use the great potential for cross-sector collaboration between different stakeholders from all over the world – from football to politics, civil society, the private sector and academia – to discuss and decide on joint action towards a more sustainable future. The Football for Sustainability Summit has displayed a great example of how sports and especially football can become a relevant force in contributing to the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in all dimensions and all over the world. The results will also inform other major global sport events, such as the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.”   The following, Jürgen Dusel, German Government's Disabilities Commissioner, Daniela Wurbs , Kickin Germany, and Charles Nyambe President and Managing Director Special Olympics International, Africa Region, led a session to explore the role of sport in promoting inclusion and making our global society more inclusive. This session was delivered by discussing best practices and challenges with esteemed experts and the aim is to identify next steps for embedding inclusion into the DNA of sport and sporting events.   This presentation was followed by participants that engaged in small, facilitated group discussions in which they brainstormed initial steps for maintaining the momentum of inclusion discussions. In the next steps, we will explore how to enhance collaborative efforts for a more inclusive practice of sport and use sport as a catalyst for greater inclusivity in society. Special Olympics shared our signature Unified Sports model which has overwhelmingly been identified as the most impactful tool to achieving inclusion.

A powerful discussion on inclusion in sport was led by Charles Nyambe, President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Africa, Jürgen Dusel, the German Government's Disabilities Commissioner and Daniela Wurbs, Senior Project Manager at Kickin Germany at the recent Football for Sustainability Summit in Berlin. #SpecialOlympics