Europe/Eurasia Stories

Europe/Eurasia is full of great stories about our athletes, volunteers and coaches. Here are some of them.

May 16, 2012

Gymnasts Reveal their Potential

Special Olympics Gymnasts thrill the crowds at 2012 Women's Artistic European Championships with a show of skill and elegance

 

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May 11, 2012

Marathon Effort by CMS! Thank You!

On 15 April 2012, 36 runners from CMS Cameron Mc Kenna offices across Central and Eastern Europe dusted off their trainers to compete in the Vienna City Marathon relay in support of their charity partner, Special Olympics.

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May 11, 2012

Spare Change Put to Good Use

Coin Co International (CCI), the world’s experts in foreign money conversion, are delighted to announce a new partnership between CCI, Special Olympics and Charleroi Airport.

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May 9, 2012

Meet Our Volunteers!

Michael Newton is the European Basketbball Advisor for Special Olympics. SOEE recently caught up with Michael to ask him about what Special Olympics means to him and his family.

 

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May 9, 2012

Growing Female Unified Football® focus of international seminar in Budapest

Thanks to the support of UEFA, Special Olympics Hungary hosted in Budapest from May 5-7 an international seminar on how to get more young girls and women involved in Unified Football in 2012 and beyond.

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April 26, 2012

A special Army salute for a Special Olympics athlete

Four and half years ago Gilad Rosedial, a Special Olympic athlete, joined the Israeli army as a volunteer as part of a special project involving AKIM Israel.

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April 21, 2012

AJAX give Special Olympics players a day to remember

League titleholders AFC AJAX held an all-day football clinic for Special Olympics players followed by front row seats at Amsterdam Arena to watch AJAX beat Hercules 6 nil.

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April 20, 2012

European Table Tennis Tournament in Slovenia

European Table Tennis Tournament in Slovenia

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April 4, 2012

Figure Skating Elegance in Vienna

31 Skaters from 6 countries took part in Austria's fourth National Winter Games Figure Skating competition held in the beautiful surroundings of Vienna

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April 3, 2012

Athletes cross the line at Tel Aviv Marathon in record time

Two athletes from Special Olympics Israel complete the 2012 Tel Aviv marathon for the first time ever in the history of Special Olympics Israel.

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April 2, 2012

Serban Nicolescu in his own words!

'We Can Win' is a book by author Elena Lazar which tells the story of Serban Nicolescu, a Special Olympics athlete from Romania. It was launched by Serban on World Down Syndrome Day in March 2012.

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March 23, 2012

Listening to the Sound of Snow

Special Olympics Russia coach Alexander Tyuliandin, 60, who works in an institution for young people with intellectual disabilities in Kostroma, listens to the stillness around him to gauge snow conditions as his two athletes practice.

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March 23, 2012

Coach mantra gets athlete across the finish line

A combination of fighting spirit and coach Rustam Mavlikeev’s mantra – “Run, run, run” – helped Special Olympics athlete Anna Kireeva, aged 17 from Ulyanovsk in southwest Russia, complete the 200 m snowshoe race.

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March 23, 2012

Devoted to her son; dedicated to Special Olympics

Galina Bezrukowa wants her son Stepan, aged 30, who competed in the 50 m snowshoe race, to enjoy all of the benefits that Special Olympics can offer.

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March 23, 2012

Enjoying every moment of a birthday

Special Olympics athlete Ivan Toropov celebrated his sixteenth birthday during the Murmansk competition.

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March 23, 2012

Benefits of cross-country skiing go beyond the track

Sergey Sizyukhin, 17, did not take to cross-country skiing immediately when his mother enrolled him the in adapted sports school for children and youths with disabilities in Murmansk 10 years ago.

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March 22, 2012

Athlete gains purpose in life through sports

During the winter months Special Olympics cross-country skier Katya Rodionova, 28 trains daily with her coach Gennady Bolonov, 47, so she was well prepared to take on the 50 m and 100 m races.

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March 19, 2012

Speed Skating Competition in the Netherlands

80 Special Olympics Speed Skaters from across Hungary, Kazakhstan, Norway, the Netherlands,  Poland and Russia took part in the first ever Special Olympics Speed Skating-Short Track Regional Competitions from March 9th – 11th.

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January 9, 2012

UNICEF Exhibition featuring Special Olympics Montenegro Athletes

Four Special Olympics athletes joined four Paralympics athletes as subjects of a photo exhibition commissioned by UNICEF Montenegro.

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January 9, 2012

UNICEF supports Special Olympics in Azerbaijan

Special Olympics and UNICEF wrap up a regional development project where Special Olympics Azerbaijan is creating new sports opportunities for young people with intellectual disabilities in the Goychay and Ganja regions.

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December 20, 2011

Christmas Golf Tournament in Portugal

Special Olympics Golfers from five European countries celebrated a two-day Christmas Golf Tournament at Montado Golf Centre in Setubal, Portugal from December 9th to the 11th, 2011.

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December 14, 2011

Shooting Hoops with the Euroleague Stars in Serbia

Serbia kicked off their Special Olympics European Basketball Week with a National Basketball Tournament for male athletes on November 26th in Krusevac. This event was followed by a National Basketball Tournament for women in Pirot on December 3rd and a promotional appearance at the Euroleague game between Partizan Mt:s and Maccabi Electra on December 1st.

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December 14, 2011

Lithuanian Towns Come Together for European Basketball

More than 300 athletes took part in events throughout towns and village special schools, social care homes and days centres in Lithuania as part of 2011 Special Olympics European Basketball Week from November 24th to December 4th.

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December 14, 2011

Healthy Athlete Activity at Albanian Basketball Week

The Albanian city of Elbasan welcomed more than 180 athletes from five regions to their Special Olympics Basketball Week event which was a mixture of sport competition, Healthy Athletes and for the first time ever a Special Smiles program.

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December 14, 2011

Ukraine Basketball Week Focuses on Children Under 15 Years

2011 European Basketball Week (Nov 24th to December 4th) in Ukraine took a specific focus on providing opportunities in basketball for children under the age of 15.

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December 14, 2011

Highest Participation Rate to Date in Slovenia's Basketball Week

For Special Olympics Slovenia athletes Thursday, December 1st was a special day.  Falling within 2011 European Basketball Week, a ten state basketball tournament was organised in the Franc Rozman Stane Sports Complex in Ljubljana to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Institute of Janez.

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December 13, 2011

Partnership with International Floorball Federation

Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia has entered into partnership with the International Floorball Federation (IFF) with the official signing of an agreement between Denis Doolan, Acting President of SOEE, Filip Suman, Vice President of IFF during the Women's World Floorball Championship in St. Gallen, Switzerland on December 9th.

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December 13, 2011

SO Poland Swimmers at the 2011 European Swimming Championship

Thanks to our partnership with the European Swimming Federation (LEN), all eyes were on Special Olympics swimmers during the recent European Swimming Championships which took place in Szczecin, Poland on December 11, 2011.

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December 12, 2011

Athens 2011 Healthy Athlete Programme Transforms Lives

The lives of three athletes from The Netherlands were transformed for good after participating in the Healthy Athlete Programme during the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens last summer.

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December 12, 2011

European Skiers Preapre for Korea 2013

More than 85 Special Olympics skiers and coaches from eight European countries took part in an SOEE Alpine Skiing Camp in Murau, Austria from December 3rd to 9th in preparation for the 2012 Skiing season and the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Korea.

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December 9, 2011

Poland Kick-Off European Basketball Week with Press Conference

Special Olympics Poland kicked off their European Basketball Week with a press conference in Warsaw on November 24th followed by ten regional and local tournaments and a promotional appearance at the Asseco Prokom vs. FC Barcelona Regal Euroleague game on December 1st.

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December 9, 2011

A Busy Week in Ireland for European Basketball Week

2011 Special Olympics European Basketball Week was a resounding success in Ireland full of many exciting tournaments and events.  Regional games were held throughout the week across Ireland while the men’s and women’s National Basketball Cup took place on November 26th.

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November 23, 2011

Project UNIFY Kick-Off Meeting in Rome, Italy, November 15-17

The European Project UNIFY pilot program was kicked off with a meeting in Rome/Italy November 15-17.

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November 7, 2011

Stars make a splash with Special Olympics Athletes in Croatia

Water Polo and Tennis Stars join Special Olympics Croatia at the Pool.

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November 2, 2011

Regional Artistic Gymnastics Seminar, Italy

23 representatives from 14 European countries attended the Regional Artistic Gymnastics Seminar in Genova, Italy on October 27-30.

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October 24, 2011

Unified Partners Work for Change.

Two Special Olympics Great Britain Unified Partners worked with a local club to develop Unified Sports.

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October 21, 2011

Recognition for the First Lady of Poland

Special Olympics Athletes from Poland honour their First Lady for all the support she has shown them.

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October 21, 2011

SO Serbia athletes attend UEFA EURO 2012 Group C Qualifier

UEFA EURO 2012 Group C qualifiers was attended by Special Olympics Serbia athletes and coaches

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October 21, 2011

Special Olympics Serbia Athletes Make a Splash During Competition

Special Olympics Serbia Athletes Make a Splash During Competition

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September 24, 2011

SO Ambassador Princess Charlene of Monaco Hosts EKS Day Lunch

On Saturday September 24th Global Ambassador for Special Olympics Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco held a lunch on board The World in honour of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

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September 15, 2011

Vélocité Paris to Nice Charity Cycle

On September 24, the day we celebrate our founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, twenty brave men and women will don their spandex and set off on their very own “Tour de France” for Special Olympics.

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July 1, 2011

Anca's Winning Shot

Anca Chirita’s journey to the Special Olympics World Games was a long one. The 20-year-old Romanian bocce player was abandoned to an institution at the age of three, and was shifted among various institutions every couple of years after that.

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June 25, 2011

World Games: Becoming a National Champion

Philip Gruppetta’s bowling talents were apparent at the early age of 11 when he was training with Special Olympics twice a week. He debuted on the world stage at the 2007 Games in Shanghai, where he won silver in his division, and now he comes to Athens to win.  But his ambitions don’t end there. Philip would like to become the National Champion in tenpin bowling in Malta.

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April 21, 2011

Royal Fan

The joy of Special Olympics attracts fans from all walks of life, including some household names. World class athletes like Michael Phelps and Nadia Comaneci and entertainers like Vanessa Williams and Joe Jonas support the Special Olympics vision that sports can pave the way for acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. We also have a few royal fans.

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Igniting the Project Unify Fire in Special Olympics Bharat

Project Unify is now ‘official’ in the Asia Pacific region with our pilot launching in Special Olympics Bharat!read more »

Posted on 2012-05-16 by Karyn

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