[Brussels, Belgium - 11 November 2026] For the second year in a row, Special Olympics athletes from across the European Union (EU) are gathering at the European Parliament in Brussels, in the heart of Europe. They are meeting with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and other EU officials throughout the two days to advocate for inclusion and ensure that support for people with intellectual disabilities is included in the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU's long-term budget plan.
SOEU Day 2026 builds on the success of the inaugural event in 2025, which welcomed more than 200 participants from 26 EU Member States and facilitated over 100 bilateral meetings with European policymakers, including eight European Parliament Vice-Presidents and four European Commissioners. The initiative generated extensive media coverage, reaching approximately 26 million.
This year, the athletes are demonstrating the breadth of Special Olympics programming in the Spinelli Bar Exhibition Area, located at one of the main junctions of the European Parliament. A compelling photo exhibition portrays the connection, diversity, and belonging inherent to the global Special Olympics movement alongside a health and wellbeing learning space. A Special Olympics Unified Sports® cycling event directly engages athletes, policymakers, and partners in the unifying power of sport.
Special Olympics athletes, EU high-level representatives, partners, UN leaders, and philanthropy representatives will gather tomorrow for the Closing Assembly, ‘A Strong and Inclusive Europe’. There, representatives from the European Parliament and the European Commission will discuss, together with Special Olympics athletes, key priorities for the future of disability inclusion in Europe.
Speaking today, Sven Albrecht, President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Europe Eurasia said: "Special Olympics is once again honoured to take centre stage in the European Parliament in Brussels. This, the second annual Special Olympics European Union (EU) day, is a testament to the powerful ties between the athletes of Special Olympics and the European institutions. From vital partnership for the World Games in Greece, Austria, Germany, and Italy to backing a spectrum of health, athlete leadership, coach development, sustainability projects, and beyond, SOEU Day 2026 is also another in a long line of demonstrations of immense support from the EU to our movement.
We envision this support continuing long into the future. Our athletes are keenly aware that they arrive in Brussels at a key moment in the negotiations for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) [the EU's long-term budget plan]. They are here to help ensure that inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities is no mere lofty ideal but it is written into the terms of the next EU budget.
Over these two days, they are speaking and listening to their elected representatives, demonstrating our work on health, wellbeing, Unified Sports and more. We know that this shared venture will further deepen the connection between Special Olympics and the EU as together we can continue to forge a pathway forward for a more inclusive Europe."
Daniel Marques, Special Olympics Portugal athlete added, “I believe everyone should be able to get the help they need not only to survive but to live, for that to happen the first step is knowing. Knowing the struggles and needs of the person we are trying to help, in some cases this is as simple as talking to them, those of us who live with disabilities know better than anyone what our struggles are … However, this is not always easy or straight forward. I don’t have all of the answers but I know that we need to try. It just takes a little effort and an open mind, and that's what I hope to find here in Brussels, open minds and a willingness to try. I want to tell [the EU representatives], show them, I'll draw it for them if I have to. Make them leave the room with a little more understanding of what we go through so that hopefully when the time comes, they will think of us.”
