“We’re proud to play basketball, it’s a great honor for us,” said Thomas Schwenkewitz during the national games Special Olympics Beginning of September in Bonn. The Special Olympics are sports competitions for people with intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities. The 31-year-old wears his long hair in a ponytail and is slightly out of breath after the warm-up lap of practice. This is not his first time, Thomas has already taken part in several state games and also in national games. He works in a workshop for people with disabilities in the joinery – “woodworking,” says Schwenkewitz.
He trains with his colleagues every Friday after work, which everyone enjoys, says Thomas. He has been playing basketball since he was seven and enjoys watching his favorite sport on television. But in professional sports, “some disabled people can’t take part”. That’s why he thinks it’s good that the Special Olympics exist. The competitions are great for making new contacts and making friends, emphasizes Schwenkewitz: “And of course to have fun.”
Under the umbrella of the IOC
The Special Olympics are a sports organization with five million athletes in over 170 countries. At the Special Olympics, athletes are classified into groups of similar skill levels using a classification system. So all participants – and not just the best – have a chance of winning.
Since the Special Olympics are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), special Olympic traditions such as the torch relay can also be carried out. In contrast to the Olympic Games, however, it is not athletic performance that is in the foreground, but the joy of movement. Both children and adults can take part in the competitions.
Pompous opening ceremony like at the Olympic Games – including the Olympic Flame
The German federal association, Special Olympics Germany, is subordinate to 14 state associations, including the state association of North Rhine-Westphalia, which hosted the state games in Bonn. In order to compete in these or other regional competitions, athletes like Thomas have to train regularly.
The principle of sporting advancement, which is an essential part of the concept of Special Olympics Germany, also provides for a certain level of competition experience as a basis for nomination for national and international games.
National competitions have been held in Germany every two years since 2020, with summer and winter games alternating. The Special Olympics World Games, which will be held in Berlin in 2023 and thus in Germany for the first time, also follow a two-year cycle. The last winter games were in Graz in 2021, in 2019 they met for the summer games in Abu Dhabi.
Breaking down barriers, enabling participation
In addition to the sports competitions, there are health promotion and prevention programs at all Special Olympics events. People with intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities are specifically addressed, as they often have poorer access to the health system, but at the same time are at higher risk of health restrictions. Pointing out such barriers and breaking them down is also a goal of the Special Olympics.
Basketball enthusiast: Thomas Schwenkewitz (r.) doesn’t let his disability limit him
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities legally guarantees that people with disabilities can also do sports. It also states that everyone has the right to be an equal part of society. It is not primarily about integrating people with disabilities afterwards, but about creating structures that enable unrestricted participation for all people from the outset. And that includes taking part in sports and competitions in a suitable form.
Nevertheless, it is not always easy for the athletes at the Special Olympics. Leonie Rapphahn has been playing basketball since 2016 and is taking part in a Special Olympics competition at the state games in Bonn for the second time. She first had to get used to the competitions, most of all to the large number of people – “because I can’t judge them well,” explains Leonie. The 16-year-old’s favorite thing about basketball is making hoops and winning. Despite her difficulties with the many strangers at the competitions, Leonie would like to take part in the Special Olympics again.
More than just a sporting competition
In addition to the traditional teams in which Thomas and Leonie play, there are also the so-called “unified teams”. People with and without disabilities play together in a team. Game observers check that the game is really being played together and that one team member is not dominating the game alone. However, that rarely happens because all participants are aware that sport is primarily about having fun, explains Stefan Hübner. He is the state coordinator for basketball in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Special Olympics is not only a sports organization but also a movement to promote inclusion
Another aspect of the Special Olympics, which the international games in particular bring with them: the athletes sometimes travel around the world to take part in the competitions, for example to Abu Dhabi, where the last world games took place. “They sometimes get around quite a bit,” says Hübner.
The Special Olympics are not just a sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities or multiple disabilities. They are also an inclusion movement that offers preventive healthcare and encourages people with and without disabilities to exercise together. The competitions enable the athletes, sometimes even outside of their own country, to make contacts and make friends.
The top priority: have fun. And that seems to work too. “It’s my sport,” says Leonie about playing basketball. “I just feel free.”
