The invitation to visit Russia was extended by Vyacheslav Fetisov, First Deputy Chairman of State Duma of Russian Federation Committee of Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Affairs.
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver will pay his first official visit to Russia later this month on foot of an invitation from Vyacheslav Fetisov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of Russian Federation Committee of Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Affairs. The visit by Dr. Shriver will include a series of engagements including meetings with Russian state officials and attendance at a number of sporting events featuring Special Olympics Russia athletes.
The Moscow visit comes at an exciting time for the Special Olympics movement in Russia, which is under new leadership. Special Olympics, the world's largest sports organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, currently has more than 120,000 athletes participating in sports in Russia. However, under the leadership of Special Olympics Russia President Yuri Smirnov, it is committed to an expansion plan to grow the Special Olympics program so that it becomes available in all regions across Russia. It is currently available in 60 of the 85 regions in the Russian Federation.
Plans are also underway to grow the number of athletes to coincide with the opening of new regional offices, as well as prioritising the Special Olympics Young Athlete program, tailored for athletes between the ages between two and seven, and Special Olympics Unified Sports program, where athletes with and without disabilities play sports together. It is also a strategic goal of Special Olympics Russia that thousands of Russian schools will sign up to become involved in Unified Sports.
Speaking in advance of his visit, which will take place from February 19th to 22nd Dr. Shriver said: “The Special Olympics movement is proud of the decades of work done by Special Olympics Russia to share the gifts of people with intellectual disability with millions of citizens nationwide through the joy of sport. And we are equally committed to expanding our work, to enhancing the health outcomes of sport for our athletes, and to promoting our new and powerful unified programs. As we aim to build a more joyful and just community for all, we are reaching out to all Russians to ask them to join our movement and advance the work of inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.”
These sentiments were echoed by Russian supermodel and Special Olympics Board of Directors member Natalia Vodianova who described Special Olympics as vital not only in Russia but all around the world. “With a new local leadership team in place headed by Mr. Smirnov and now, Tim Shriver's visit to Russia, the future and rapid development of Special Olympics Russia is looking very promising. I am so happy that people in my country will get to know about the important work that this organisation is doing in Russia and all over the world,” said Ms Vodianova, a committed philanthropist who, and along with her role in Special Olympics, has also founded the Naked Heart Foundation charity.
The trip comes following an official invitation from Vyacheslav Fetisov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of Russian Federation Committee of Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Affairs. Commenting on the visit, he said: "With all of our famous Russian hospitality we are pleased to welcome Dr. Timothy Shriver to Moscow. Russia has always been a world leader in sports. Special Olympics has been steadily growing in Russia for many years and we are proud and determined to support its ongoing development.”
Dr. Shriver, who leads the organisation his mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded in 1968, has committed to a number of engagements during his visit. These include visiting a Special Olympics Russia Young Athletes event, which is a sport and play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities aged two to seven years old, and a Unified football demonstration, where people with and without intellectual disabilities play on the same team. Both events will take place in Moscow.
Over one million people participate in Special Olympics Unified Sports each year. Unified Sports has proven highly effective in combatting discrimination and stigma towards people with intellectual disabilities. In Russia, more than 1,600 participants participate in Unified Sports, with plans to increase this figure substantially in the next three years.
There will also be a press conference on the morning of Monday, February 20th at the RIA Novosti in Moscow, which will feature Dr. Shriver, Mr. Vyacheslav Fetisov, Natalia Vodianova, Special Olympics President Yuri Smirnov as well as representatives from Coca-Cola Russia, who are long-term global supporters of Special Olympics.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Special Olympics Russia President, Yuri Smirnov, said the future is bright for the movement and they were looking forward to a team of 88 Special Olympics Russia athletes travelling to Austria for the upcoming Special Olympics World Winter Games, which are taking place in Austria this March. He also paid tribute to the support the organisation has received from the Russian government. “Special Olympics has been established in Russia since the early 1990s and we can all be proud of the work done since then to break down barriers for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We are focused now on the future and finding new ways to promote the movement across Russia. We look forward to increasing the number of athletes taking part in Unified Sports and our Young Athletes programmes. I would also like to thank the Ministry of Sport and all of the sport federations for their ongoing and steadfast support.”
Ljubo Grujic, General Manager Coca-Cola Russia, Ukraine & Belarus said: "Coca-Cola has been a founding partner of Special Olympics since 1968. Through its consistent and continued support of Special Olympics around the world, Coca-Cola has fostered acceptance and inclusion for millions of athletes and helped create a positive legacy. Dr. Tim Shriver’s visit to Moscow is a great opportunity for Special Olympics enthusiasts and the general public to discuss and contribute to growing this movement in Russia.
“Coca-Cola has a long history of supporting various community initiatives in Russia. A collaboration with Special Olympics is a natural continuation of our initiatives to support inclusivity. Coca-Cola Russia is involved in the development of an inclusive grassroots football tournament ‘Leather Ball – Coca-Cola Cup’ for boys and girls, gathering support for Special Olympics football and building accessible community playparks for people of all abilities with the Naked Heart Foundation. As the Official Partner of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Coca-Cola is excited to leverage this great sporting occasion to expand and strengthen football development for ALL in Russia.”
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968, and celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 5 million athletes and Unified partners in more than 170 countries. With the support of more than 1 million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and over 108,000 games and competitions throughout the year. Special Olympics is supported by individuals, foundations and partners, including the Christmas Records Trust, the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics, The Coca-Cola Company, United Airlines, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN, Microsoft, Lions Clubs International, Bank of America, Essilor Vision Foundation, the Golisano Foundation, Safilo Group, and TOYOTA. Click here for a full list of partners. Engage with us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and our blog on Medium.
Special Olympics Russia currently has more than 120,000 athletes, 1,700 coaches 1,600 Unified playing partners, and almost 2,200 Young Athletes participants and is available in 60 regions across Russia. The Unified Sports programme is developing with 30 of the 60 regions taking part in activities. Special Olympics Russia will send 88 athletes to the World Winter Games which are taking place in Austria 14-25 March.
Contact
Fiona Hynes
Special Olympics
fhynes@specialolympics.org
+ 353 87 1342820