Refugee

Former Juventus stars David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero showed their support for the athletes of Special Olympics and our work with refugees by joining recent Special Olympics European Football Week activities!

Njegoš Mihajlović, athlete leader and Special Olympics medallist has become the first person with intellectual disabilities to enrol in a University in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 2020, the United Nations marks 75 years of working toward “peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.” On United Nations Day, we celebrate the UN’s work with a look at some of the Special Olympics athlete leaders, from around the world, who have spoken before UN audiences throughout the years.

On Saturday, June 20, 2020, join us as we celebrate World Refugee Day, which commemorates the bravery and strength of the many refugees forced to leave their homes because of persecution.

Speaking alongside Special Olympics Europe Eurasia President and Managing Director, David Evangelista at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, Gerald underlined Special Olympics’ ongoing efforts to engage refugee and migrant youth—of all abilities—across the world and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between both organisations.

Special Olympics Belgium athletes and refugees who are living in Belgium came together to demonstrate the power of inclusion at a recent Special Olympics Unified Football Competition in Brussels.

In early July 2019, Lions Clubs International Foundation—one of Special Olympics largest and most long-standing global partners—offered athletes the opportunity to share our joint message of inclusion at the 102nd Lions Clubs International Convention in Milan.

Participants at the recent ESPN-sponsored Unified Football Tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced not only the joy of football, but also moments of inclusion, connection and generosity.

Malachie was found in a dark room, chained to a pole in a Tanzanian refugee camp. His life was changed when he was brought out of isolation and introduced to Special Olympics Unified Sports.

As a refugee, Gerald faced harsh discrimination. It was the athletes he met through Unified Sports who were the first to accept him in his new home. Follow Gerald as he joins our athletes in the Inclusion Revolution!