Host for disabled athletes
Created: 01/28/2022, 18:10
By: Nicole Kalenda
In cooperation with the district of Munich, the communities of Gräfelfing and Planegg are among the 216 hosts for the Special Olympics 2023
Got the bid: The district of Munich will be the host town for next year's Special Olympics Games Berlin.
Of the seven municipalities that applied together with the district, two are in the Würmtal: Gräfelfing and Planegg.
Gräfelfing/Planegg –
The Special Olympics World Games are the world's largest inclusive sporting event.
Summer and winter games take place every four years.
Delegations from 170 countries have registered for the Berlin Summer Games.
From June 17th to 25th, 2023, people with mental or multiple disabilities will start there in 26 sports and two demonstration sports.
The motto is "#Together Unbeatable".
In the days before, from June 12th to 15th, they will be guests in a total of 216 host towns spread across Germany.
The organizers of the Berlin Special Olympics World Games speak of the largest inclusion movement in Germany.
“There will be places nationwide for people with and without disabilities to meet internationally.
That breaks down mental barriers,” says Frauke Schwaiblmair.
The Graefelfing municipal councilor (Greens) has been involved in open work with the disabled for over 40 years, and Schwaiblmair has been leading the Graefelfing game and sport group for more than ten years, which is now part of the official sports program of TSV Graefelfing.
She is also chairwoman of the Disability Advisory Board in the district of Munich.
When the district last year called on municipalities to apply as host towns in a joint project, they and Mayor Peter Köstler were immediately interested. "Especially in Gräfelfing there is a commitment to people with disabilities, especially those with mental disabilities," says Köstler. TSV Gräfelfing was a beacon example in the municipality's application. The association, whose president is District Administrator Christoph Göbel, has its own inclusion officer and, in addition to Schwaiblmair's group, offers inclusive sports in the tennis and table tennis departments. At the Würmtal relay race, the track and field athletes regularly present relays in cooperation with the OBA. The inclusion association Traumwerker,the inclusive folk dance offer of the traditional costume association D'Würmstoana Lochham and the inclusive living community Learning Together eV were highlighted.
"Basically, we are open to inclusion," says Stefan Schaudig, manager of the municipality of Planegg.
The Naturfreunde Würmtal offer climbing and hiking for the blind and visually impaired, the DJK Würmtal a sports lesson for children with special needs, the music school Planegg-Krailling a Veeh harp course.
The plucked string instrument was originally developed for music therapy work with people with disabilities.
According to Schaudig, the decision to participate was made in consultation with Gräfelfing. Municipal councilor Fritz Haugg (FDP), consultant for people with disabilities in the municipality and member of the district’s disability advisory board, is quoted in the application: “Our municipality is happy to be a partner of the Special Olympics family, because inclusion concerns everyone. It is with pleasure that we welcome some of the world's youth to our cosmopolitan community.”
Exactly what the municipalities are going to do is unclear.
The delegations consist of between six and 400 members.
It remains to be seen who actually ends up in the district of Munich and the Würmtal.
"We don't know any more details yet," says Schaudig.
However, it is expected that there will be a need for sports facilities.
A first digital meeting with representatives of the district office and the participating municipalities is scheduled for next Monday, January 31st.
In addition to Gräfelfing and Planegg, these are Garching, Ismaning, Oberhaching, Taufkirchen and Unterföhring.
