Mercedes Navarro Puig and Maciej Fran were among nine Toyota Motor Europe (TME) volunteers who travelled to Malmö to lend their time, energy and skills to the Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2026. They reflect on the power of the experience and the impact of volunteering with Special Olympics.
The TME volunteers took on a variety of different roles at the Games which ran from 4 to 6 September and welcomed 2,000 athletes from 26 nations competing in 11 sports. Their presence served to enhance the athlete experience on a number of levels – from guidance and support to post-competition recovery. Both Mercedes and Maciej are return volunteers with Special Olympics – this was Mercedes’ second time supporting our athletes while Maciej has now volunteered at three of our events.
Mercedes’ role was to support the Special Olympics Monaco delegation throughout the event. She said, “It was really great to spend time with the athletes, see their smiles and be part of their joy and happiness. I went around the competition venues with my delegation and helped them when they had questions, doubts, needed a visit to First Aid, - really whatever was needed!”
Mercedes sees Toyota Motor Europe’s volunteer programme as a powerful initiative that greatly benefits employees. She continued, “I love the way that Toyota embraces inclusion and diversity. It was great to have the opportunity to spend time with the athletes, meet people from so many different countries and backgrounds.”
“I also volunteered at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025. It was great. This time was even more special because I had the opportunity to be close to a delegation, spend even more time with the athletes and form a stronger bond with them.”
Mercedes will be keeping an eye on future opportunities with Special Olympics and encourages her colleagues to do the same. She concluded, “If there is another opportunity, I would love to come and volunteer again. I would urge my colleagues at Toyota to take the opportunity too if it ever arises in the future. You will have fun!”
Maciej was among the dedicated volunteers manning the Athlete Recovery Lounge by Toyota for four days, supporting athletes in post-game rest and recuperation. The lounge offered Special Olympics athletes an elite-level post competition space to relax, get recovery advice and take advantage of non-medical massage tools, including compression equipment for the arms and the legs, massage guns and massage balls. Maciej had previously volunteered at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 in March of last year and at the Special Olympics Unified Volleyball World Cup 2025 in Katowice, Poland in October.
Reflecting on his third volunteering stint with Special Olympics, he said, “It was an amazing experience and a great opportunity to interact with the athletes. We saw how they came back again and again and we really started to feel like we were part of the team. Many of the athletes invited us to watch them compete and updated us on the results. They even reported to us that the Recovery Lounge helped them to play their best and win!”
“We got feedback from many athletes and some of the parents who were here that this was the first time that they had the opportunity to use equipment like this, and that really made them feel on par with other athletes.”
“This is a great way to use my free time. It is not only us giving to the athletes, they are giving so much to us – so much love which you just can’t measure! It’s an unforgettable experience.”
