Armenia

Special Olympics Armenia participants at the Final in Yerevan

Young people with and without disabilities rally together under the Be a fan slogan
Special Olympics Armenia kicked off Football Week by holding six local competitions starting in late April. One hundred and twenty athletes competed at local level with two new teams from Syunik region. Special Olympics athletes who took part in Special Olympics international events turned their attention to local participants, sharing their experiences, assisting participating athletes, and serving as role models for the younger athletes.

Two hundred players went on to compete at a Final on 15-16 May in Yerevan. Teams from Yerevan special schools No. 5 (Medical-Psychological-Pedagogical Assessment Center) and No. 11, as well as teams from the Kapan Special Educational Complex (Syunik), special schools in Sissian (Syunik), Gavar (Gegharkunik), Armavir (Armavir), Vanadzor (Lory), and Gyumri(Shirak) participated.

In Yerevan, during the Final's Opening Ceremonies, Special Olympics Armenia athletes marched in front of guests who included representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, and Armenian State Institute of Physical Education. There were physical education teachers, school principals and organizations investing in special education also in the audience.

Awards ceremony at the Final. Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Armenia

Special Olympics Armenia rallied young people with and without disabilities together under the Special Olympics “Be a fan” slogan during the Final. Not only were there Unified Football® teams on the pitch but students from special and mainstream schools shared accommodation, food and everyday life during the Yerevan event. This gathering of young people has become a tradition within Special Olympics Armenia which has been able to extend the Special Olympics SO Get Into It® concept of tolerance, acceptance and inclusion into its sports activities, including Football Week.

Special Olympics Armenia also held three seminars in the regions for 20 coaches; 10 were newly recruited.

In addition to the matches, participants - many who had never been to the capital before - went on a culture tour of Yerevan and visited an amusement park.

Ten students from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Education majoring in Adaptive Physical Education who have gone through Special Olympics volunteer training volunteered during the event.

Special Olympics Armenia cooperated with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to organize the event.

Journalists from Kentron and Shant television channels reported on the event during the evening news. An article about the event will be published in Sport World in June 2008.

Azerbaijan

Awards ceremony at the Baku tournament. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Azerbaijan.

Special Olympics Program teams up with professional club to organize tournament
Special Olympics Azerbaijan organized a tournament in Baku in cooperation with Premier League club Inter-Baku from 25-29 May, 2008. Eighteen teams from the regions of Baku, Absheron, Sumgayit, Lankaran, Shaki and Gusar took part in the tournament that was held on the grounds of the Inter stadium. The National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, and the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan supported the event. It was covered on television and in newspapers.

Belarus

FC BATE Borisov team mates and Special Olympics footballers with BATE General Director Genadiy Jakubovskij, (front row, standing, second on right), Vice Director Vladimir Aleynikov (front row, standing, second on left) and program representatives. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Belarus.

City of Borisov, BATE and the football federation generously support Special Olympics
Special Olympics Belarus in cooperation with the Belarus Football Federation organized a football festival for players with disabilities in Minsk from 24-25 April 2008. In total, 250 players participated in the festival with 120 of them representing Special Olympics Belarus. The players were able to play football in first-class facilities used by professional clubs and owned by the federation. The federation provided the facilities free of charge as well as the officials.

From 12-15 May 2008, Special Olympics Belarus organized its first Unified® Football tournament. The tournament, held in Borisov, attracted over 100 male participants between 14 and 22 who came from nine regions. The players were from special and mainstream schools. The tournament was hosted by the city of Borisov and hometown heroes FC BATE Borisov. The city provided the playing fields free of charge and BATE provided accommodation at the club's summer camp. “Everyone was excited about what they saw during the Unified tournament,” said Krzysztof Krukowski, Director, Organizational Development, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. “There was a real feeling of friendship among the athletes and partners and it was agreed that there was a lot of potential to develop the Unified concept further,” he said.

“Over the years the city of Borisov and BATE have been generous supporters of Special Olympics Belarus and they deserve a big thanks for what they contribute to football development for our athletes,” Krukowski added.

Special Olympics players and volunteers from the Medical University of Minsk at a Special Smiles screening. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Belarus.

All participants went through the Healthy Athletes Special Smiles screening that was run by 10 volunteers from the Medical University of Minsk and supported by Colgate that provided toothbrushes and tooth paste.

Earlier, on 28 March, Special Olympics Belarus organized a coach seminar at the federation's Football House for 20 participants including 14 coaches.

Bosnia

Nineteen clubs take part in one-day tournament
Special Olympics Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a one-day national tournament for 19 clubs in Zenica on 22 April. The event was organized in cooperation with the Bosnian Football Federation and the Danish Football School. Football clubs U.G Svetlost and F.K Rudar Zenica provided the technical support while the canton provided officials for matches. The event was supported by several ministries. In celebration of Football Week, former professional player Muhamed Konjica was named Football Ambassador.

Cyprus

Some of the Special Olympics Cyprus footballers and Special Olympics program staff at the Nuevo Campo Football Fields. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Cyprus

Unified tournament combined with football association support becomes a tradition
Special Olympics Cyprus organized its eighth Unified Football® tournament as part of Football Week celebration. The tournament was held at the Nuevo Campo football fields on 7 May in Nicosia. Seventy Special Olympics players participated. Fifteen public school students, who went through the Special Olympics SO Get Into It® (SOGII) curriculum last year, came out to support the event. Participants enjoyed a skills demonstration before competing. Sponsors of the event were Quality Group, Coca-Cola, Nuevo Campo Football Fields and Sportive sports magazine. Later, 10 students from the SOGII initiative and 10 Special Olympics athletes watched a First Division football game. The Cyprus Football Association provided excellent support for the Football Week celebrations and supports Special Olympics Cyprus throughout the year. The association will cooperate with Special Olympics Cyprus when it hosts the 7-a-side Small Nations Football Tournament which will be held in Ayia-Napa from 1-7 November 2008.

Georgia

Very young players in Tbilisi.

Very young players and coach assistants show off their skills in Tbilisi
Special Olympics Georgia organized a tournament for 110 young players at the Sport Academy on 9-10 May, 2008 in Tbilisi. The players came from Tbilisi and six regions. Some of the players were 11 years old and younger; some teams comprised of girls. The under-11 players were helped by 10 coach assistants from the region and five from Tbilisi. The coach assistants are Special Olympics players who have taken on new responsibilities within a team, acquiring new skills in an initiative developed by Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia that aims to broaden opportunities for athletes.

Opening Ceremonies, held on 9 May, was attended by the Chairman of the Sports Academy and representatives of the Georgian Football Federation, including Uchi Ugulava, General Secretary, and Grigol Tsaava, President of the Tbilisi Football Federation.

Twenty-five volunteers helped organize the tournament with most coming from the Sport Academy. Two referees were provided by the football federation.

Rishi Kokoev, 18, who has been a Special Olympics player since he was a boy and now is one of the coach assistants who helped with the under-11 players. Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Georgia

The tournament was broadcast on National Television Channel One and by Mze. Radio 5 Lines dedicated live coverage to the tournament for two days and also reported on the tournament in Georgian and in English. Special Olympics Georgia distributed 500 brochures about its activities.

Special Olympics players received medals and watches and every team received footballs. Special Olympics Georgia is planning follow-up matches with QSI (Quality Schools International) football teams.

Supporters of the tournament were the Georgian Football federation and Rotar Arctlub.

On 9 May, 2008, a seminar was organized for 10 coaches and 15 coach assistants. A coach assistant seminar was held the following day. The coach assistants went into more depth about football and analyzed their jobs at the tournament. They each received a notebook so that they can keep a journal of their experience as coach assistants throughout the year. They also received balls and coach assistant T-shirts.

Germany

Training session at Dynamo Dresden

Sixteen professional clubs hold training sessions for Special Olympics players
Sixteen clubs from the First to Fourth Leagues were involved in activities with Special Olympics footballers all over the country. Professional players conducted one-hour training sessions for about 400 Special Olympics players on club grounds. Some of the professional clubs included SV Werder Bremen, Hannover 96, VfL Wolfsburg, Karlsruher SC, Hertha BSC Berlin and 1. FFC Frankfurt, Germany's top women's team.

Special Olympics footballer André Huesig summed up the feelings of being trained by the pros: “I have learned a lot. For me, it is a dream come true to play with the Bundesliga.”

In addition to the training, there were workshops in Berlin and Essen for about 80 girls and women; tournaments in Cologne, Hamburg and Bremen for about 600 players; and an invitation for some Special Olympics players to attend the Women's UEFA Cup Final in Frankfurt between 1. FFC Frankfurt and Umeå IK of Sweden.

Special Olympics players with Karlsruher SC Maik Franz.Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Germany

In total, more than 1,000 Special Olympics players between the ages of 8 and 58 years and 150 coaches were involved in Football Week. Ten percent of the players were female.

Media coverage was excellent. Several television broadcasters ran reports: ZDF on the “Heute Sport” show, RTL Niedersachsen on the “Guten Abend RTL“ show, and Bayern 3 on the “Sport in Bayern” show. Many newspapers carried reports on the activities as did several websites including the one belonging to the DFB (German Football Federation) and DFL (German Football League).

Ireland

Sean Haughey, T.D., Minister for Youth Affairs, with Special Olympics players.

Series of blitzes, matches and cup competitions organized
Special Olympics Ireland played its part in Football Week celebrations by hosting a series of football blitzes, half-time matches and cup competitions with an estimated 650 athletes participating.

On 12 April 2008 the Women's inter-Regional one-day competition took place in the AUL in Clonshaugh, Dublin and involved six teams representing five regions. The under 19's international Women's football team came to watch the action and have their photos taken with the Special Olympics players. Sean Haughey, T.D., Minister for Youth Affairs, presented awards to the winning teams.

Special Olympics players with members of the Under 19 international Women's football team.

Special Olympics Munster female footballers played in a demonstration match organized by FAI (Football Association of Ireland) Development Officer Nick Harrison in Turners Cross Stadium, Cork on 25 April prior to the Cork City vs Drogheda match. The match was watched by approximately 4200 spectators who gave Special Olympics players a great reception.

In the Ulster Region, the South Donegal Special Olympics club took part in the annual Local Derby League of Ireland Premier division football event on 25 May where Finn Harps FC played Sligo Rovers FC. At half-time, South Donegal Special Olympics club played an 11-a-side demonstration match at Finn Park, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal.

The Special Olympics team representing Munster. All photos courtesy of Special Olympics Ireland.

On 4 May, as part of the women in sport initiative, two teams from the Eastern Region played a demonstration match at half-time in Richmond Park where St. Pats played Cork City. On the 7 May, seven teams competed across two divisions in the Ulster West 5-a-side football event in Melvin Centre, Strabane.

The Connaught Annual Regional Football Blitz took place in Toghermore T.C. Tuam Rd, Galway on 7 May that included women's and men's competitions.

Italy

Press conference at the FGCI (Italian Football League) announcing Football Week

Special Olympics Italy organizes major Unified events in Rome, La Spezia and Ancona
Football Week in Italy began on 22 April 2008 with a press conference at the FGCI (Italian Football League) with FGCI President Giancarlo Abete and Vice President Demetrio Albertini attending. Nancy Brilly, a well-known Italian film star, also attended and was enthusiastic about her first encounter with Special Olympics. During the press conference, it was announced that tournaments would be held simultaneously in Rome, La Spezia and Ancona.

From 5-7 May, 94 teams from 60 schools took part in the Rome tournament. A 5-a-side Unified Football® competition involving partners from 18 schools in the Lazio region was also organized. All of the Unified partners and athletes were schoolmates. For example, six athletes and four partners who attended the event are from the ITAS Antonietti high school. They are not only team mates but they are also friends off the pitch. They get together almost every day after school. While they are passionate about football they also share a love of pizza. The school was known to have a disruptive environment but teachers are said to be pleasantly surprised by the calming effect Unified Football has had on the students.

Chasing the ball.

In La Spezia football matches were organized for 30 Unified 5-a-side teams, four Unified 7-a-side teams and 10 Unified 5-a-side teams representing several Liguria schools. Two Unified 5-a-side guest teams from Kazakhstan and Monaco also joined the competition.

In Ancona, several schools were introduced to Unified Sports with physical education teachers and remedial teachers enthusiastically praising the initiative and joining the activities.

Twenty-one teams in the major leagues promoted Football Week on their websites. At the same time, announcements and videos were sent to champion match venues while on eBay, autographed jerseys and footballs were auctioned with funds going to support Football Week. Jerseys were also given to Special Olympics players who took to the pitch feeling like champions.

Special Olympics players from Kazakhstan took part in the tournament in La Spezia. All photos courtesy of Special Olympics Italy.

Articles about the events were published in top national newspapers Corriere Dello Sport and Gazzetta Dello Sport.

Kyrgyz Republic

The Special Olympics team from Osh. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Kyrgyz Republic

More than 200 Special Olympics players representing five regions in the Kyrgyz Republic participated in a tournament in Bishkek. The players were thrilled to play on the new pitch belonging to the Kyrgyz Football Federation. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies attracted representatives from the federation, Ministries of Sport and Education, and the city. The tournament received excellent media coverage.

FYR Macedonia

Three cheers for Special Olympics football. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Macedonia

Athletes and family members among the most enthusiastic fans of players
Special Olympics Macedonia organized a tournament for 100 Special Olympics players on 17 May at the military sports complex in Skopije. Four female teams competed in 5-a-side competitions while eight male teams competed in 7-a-side matches. The tournament was divided between serious action on the pitch and fun football events. Among the most enthusiastic spectators were other athletes and family members including young parents of children with intellectual disabilities were invited to bring their children to see how they could be part of Special Olympics. Sponsors of the tournament included Gorska Water, Swedmilk, Megi company, Propoint and the Ministry of Defense.

Montenegro

Vice Minister of Sport Dragan Drobnjak surrounded by Special Olympics players in Podgorica

Young people and their supporters show they are fans of football
Special Olympics Montenegro organized two one-day competitions in Zelenika for 30 Special Olympics players on 5 May and in Bar on 6 May for 25 Special Olympics players and a two-day national competition in Podgorica. The national competition was held 9-10 May and involved 112 male and female players from all over the country. The competition served to promote Unified Football® with four teams participating and to launch the Special Olympics “Be a Fan” campaign

A coach seminar also was held for 15 coaches in Podgorica on 10 May.

Players from the local professional club got on the pitch with Special Olympics players. Tournament guests included the Vice Minister of Sport Dragan Drobnjak, and the President of Football Association of Montenegro Dejan Savicevic, who played professionally in Milan and on the national team. Special Olympics Montenegro will extend its cooperation with the ministry of sport and football association in the future. The ministry, football association and Montecco Ltd Podgorica supported the tournament.

Students from the University of Montenegro, volunteers, family members and program staff were on hand to support the tournament.

The tournament was covered on national television (RTCG2) in a 10-minute report at 1800 on 16 May. Reports also appeared in two national newspapers and Arena, the main sports newspaper.

Poland

Agreement of Cooperation Signed with Federation and the First League
Special Olympics Poland kicked off this year's Football Week by holding a press conference on 29 April 2008 in Warsaw to highlight the ongoing cooperation between Special Olympics Poland, the Polish Football Federation and EKSTRAKLASA SA, the Polish Professional Football League. All three parties signed a two-year agreement of cooperation. “We are more engaged in organizing tournaments for people with intellectual disabilities through co-funding, providing officials and equipment, and showing our solidarity,” said Michal Listkiewicz, President of the federation. “Football is a great sport and we want to give young people the chance to play. But we want Special Olympics athletes to also have the chance to meet with federation representations and players from the First League,” Listkiewicz added.

Michal Listkiewicz, President of the Polish Football Federation; Marcin Stefanskim Head of the Competition Department, EKSTRAKLASA SA; Special Olympics European Football Ambassador Roman Kosecki; Special Olympics Poland player Andrzej Strzyzewski and Special Olympics Poland National Director Boguslaw Galazka. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Poland

Marcin Stefanskim Head of the Competition Department, EKSTRAKLASA SA, said: “During this year's Football Week, all First League teams will wear Special Olympics Be a Fan T-shirts. This is a good awareness building tool but we also think it is important that the clubs continue to promote Special Olympics through their daily work, and especially at training sessions.”

Boguslaw Galazka, National Director, Special Olympics Poland, said: “The press conference not only enabled us to highlight our excellent cooperation but it also gave us the opportunity to talk about the events we are holding in 17 regions and to introduce the Special Olympics Global Football initiative which we are very excited about.”

During Football Week, 22 regional tournaments were held for 235 teams, totalling about 2,400 Special Olympics players.

Special Olympics players join Polish League Champions Wisla Krakow on pitch prior to a match on 10 May in Krakow. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Poland

Tajikistan

In Kylob, Special Olympics players race for the ball near a hand-painted banner for Special Olympics SO Get Into It® that was placed on the side line. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Tajikistan

Regional tournaments bring 400 Special Olympics players onto the pitch
Four hundred Special Olympics Tajikistan players participated in competitions in Dushanbe, Kurgan Tube, Kylob and Khudzhand. The competitions were supported by 40 coaches and 300 enthusiastic volunteers. Sponsors of the competitions included the State Committee of Sport, the National Olympic Committee and Agroinvestbank. Reports on the tournaments were printed in Asia Plus and Digest Press.

Turkey

Beach tournament participants. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Turkey

Seven cities pull out the stops for Special Olympics players
Seven hundred young players competed in 11-a-side tournaments in seven cities: Istanbul, Anatalya, Samsun, Ankara, Izmir, Edirne and Bursa. Municipal and business leaders in the cities pulled out all the stops to ensure that the players - all 20 years old or under and mainly from special schools - had a great football experience in their communities. In Kesan, a suburb of Edirne, players from the local professional club partnered with athletes in demonstration Unified matches while in Istanbul students from a military academy joined athletes for a match held at the academy's pitch. The Turkish Football Federation also showed its support for players during the Week providing officials and equipment for the events. The tournaments attracted local media coverage while the event in Istanbul was reported on by national media. On 10 May six teams and two Unified teams participated in a beach tournament in Antalya.

Ukraine

Special Olympics players were highlighted during half-time at a professional game in Kharkov. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Ukraine

Record 2,900 Special Olympics players compete across the country
Special Olympics Ukraine had a record 2,900 Special Olympics footballers competing in Football Week events in 17 regions of the country. This record included 300 new teams participating in local and regional football tournaments. In five key regions - Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Zaporizhya) - tournaments, each involving over 300 Special Olympics players, took place. All regions continued their cooperation with the Department of Sports Education, regional football associations and McDonalds Ukraine. This year, in addition to the regional tournaments, Special Olympics Ukraine focused on grassroots activities and local tournaments. Local events were mostly one-day competitions held in special schools with the aim of further developing Youth Football, Unified Football®, promotion of youth involvement (both as volunteers and Unified partners) and launching the Special Olympics “Be a fan” campaign. Thousands of “Be a fan” T-shirts and posters were distributed.

More than 400 university students was recruited as volunteers and participated in these events. The Healthy Athletes “FunFitness” initiative was held in two regions.

Two Special Olympics training seminars for coaches and volunteers referees also were organized for 14 participants.

Football Week continues to be one of the main nation-wide sport activities included in the official sport calendar of Football Federation of Ukraine. Football Week is supported by the Ministry of Education, the Football Association for Disabled, local authorities and McDonalds Ukraine.

The highlights of Special Olympics Ukraine's activities were broadcast on various television and published in newspapers, mainly at the local level.

Uzbekistan

A spectacular Opening Ceremonies included performances by artists with and without disabilities.

Finals provide players with action on and off the pitch
Following regional events for 2,300 young Special Olympics players, Finals were held 25-29 April 2008 for 230 players in Kharshi in the southeastern part of the country. Guest teams from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan also took part.

The Finals started with a spectacular Opening Ceremonies that was held at the sports complex of the Shurtan Gas-Chemical Industrial Center. One of the highlights was when the professional women's team from Kharshi and Uzbekistan champions and the champion team of players with physical disabilities kicked 100 footballs into the audience to the delight of over 5,000 spectators who had packed the stadium. Performances by artists with and without disabilities also drew loud cheers of delight.

The next morning the same number of spectators was on hand to watching divisioning.

Action on the pitch in Kharshi. Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Uzbekistan

In addition to the competition, non-sports events were organized. On 26 April a roundtable was organized to discuss ways to improve and promote healthy life styles among young people with intellectual disabilities and to develop volunteerism. A Healthy Athletes Special Smiles screening also was conducted with 200 players examined. Cultural programs for Special Olympics players included musical and dance performances, discos, and sightseeing tours of Shakhrisabz, organized by local authorities of the Kashkhadarya region, the Bureau of Youth Tourism and Kelajak Tour company.

All Football Week events were organized by Special Olympics Uzbekistan, the Women's Public Union Ayollar Kengashi and the Ministry of Culture and Sport. In addition, support came from the Social Initiatives Fund, the municipal authorities of Kashkhadarya region, the Ministries of Public Education and Labor and Social Protection, the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan, the Soglom Avlod Uchun Fund, the Uzbek Football Federation, Children's Sport Development Fund, Forum of Champions Fund, UNDP, Karavan Holding and general sponsor PU Ayollar Kengashi.