From March 18–24, 2018, over 500 athletes take center stage at the XXIX National Winter Special Olympics Games, held for the first time in Bardonecchia/Valsusa. The scenic mountain town is no stranger to major sporting events. In February 2006, it hosted alpine skiing and snowboarding competitions during the XX Winter Olympic Games and served as one of three Olympic villages.
Athletes compete across multiple winter sports: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowboarding. Intellectual disability steps aside to reveal the extraordinary abilities Special Olympics athletes bring to the slopes and slopes, as they honor their Oath: "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt".
Special Olympics athletes inspire others in their communities and beyond, opening hearts to a wider world of human talent and possibility. The Winter National Games in Bardonecchia will draw 400 family members, 300 volunteers, 200 coaches, 100 companions, and 50 accredited teams. The entire region is engaged through extensive outreach to local institutions, primary and secondary schools, sports clubs and associations, and the broader community. The Games are announced by the Torch Run, a relay race featuring athletes and law enforcement representatives who escort the flame to the Opening Ceremony—the torch a symbol of Olympic ideals, peace, and solidarity.
Special Olympics began in 1968 as a sports program exclusively for people with intellectual disabilities. Today, with growing numbers of young people without disabilities taking part, it has become an inclusive sports and cultural movement open to all—including people without intellectual disabilities who can participate not only as volunteers but as partner athletes.
Unified Sports is now the most powerful tool for achieving full inclusion. Bardonecchia will host unified sports competitions in snowshoeing and cross-country skiing—a winter spectacle like no other.
Source: Special Olympics Italia