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Athletes sitting at a table, one is talking. Athletes sitting at a table, one is talking.
Global Athlete Congress
The Global Athlete Congress (GAC) is a platform where Special Olympics athletes lead the way to a more inclusive world. It’s a space where athlete leaders from all 7 Special Olympics Regions further develop their leadership skills, so they can take on leadership roles in Special Olympics, their communities, and their workplace.

Leading Together

The 2023 Global Athlete Congress took place from June 15 – 19 during Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. The Congress’s official slogan “Leading Together” reflects the goal of creating a society, in which people with and without intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), both inside and outside the Special Olympics movement, will lead together in all aspects of society.

The 2023 Global Athlete Congress successfully achieved its objective of further developing athletes’ leadership skills, so they can take on leadership roles in Special Olympics, their communities, and their workplace.
Global Athlete Congress Overview 2023

Meet the 2023 GAC Participants

Thanks to the support of Bank of America all the athlete leaders that participated in the 2023 Global Athlete Congress received grants to implement projects to help create more inclusive environments in their communities.

Learn more about them and their projects!
SOA

Barbara Njovo

Special Olympics Zimbabwe

Boniface Kimeu

Special Olympics Kenya

Daisy Nguni

Special Olympics Zambia

Brightfield Shadi

Special Olympics Botswana

Hippolyte Koubassare

Special Olympics Burkina

Jimmy Masina

Special Olympics South Africa

Miguel Francois Jeannot

Special Olympics Mauritus

Sammy Kamande

Special Olympics Kenya

Santos Antonio

Special Olympics Namibia

Victor Umeh

Special Olympics Nigeria
SOAP

Carmelo Sandiego

Special Olympics Philippines

David Sullivan

Special Olympics New Zealand

Grace Payne

Special Olympics New Zealand

Pauline Paul

Special Olympics Papua New Guinea

Qing Hui

Special Olympics Singapore

Rithik Hukku

Special Olympics Bharat India

Ruby Lawler

Special Olympics Australia

Shrey Kadian

Special Olympics Bharat India
SOEA

Bilguun Munkhbaatar

Special Olympics Mongolia

Candy Wong

Special Olympics Hong Kong

Chi Long Szeto

Special Olympics Hong Kong

Ching-Yun Tseng

Special Olympics Chinese Taipei

Dowon Kim

Special Olympics Korea

Shiyu Zhang

Special Olympics China

Sou Sin Leng

Special Olympics Macau

Won Jae Choi

Special Olympics Korea

Yeruult Batbayar

Special Olympics Mongolia
SOEE

Adam Hammer

Special Olympics Hungary

Claire Adams

Special Olympics Ireland

Edna Šunjić

Special Olympics Bosnia and Herzegovina

Inge Maiberg

Special Olympics Estonia

Kiera Byland

Special Olympics Great Britain

Manuel Wehner

Special Olympics Germany

Michael Lofink

Special Olympics Germany

Shanaia Xuereb

Special Olympics Malta

Tatjana Raible

Special Olympics Germany
SOLA

Álvaro Brochero

Special Olympics Venezuela

Andrea Moreno

Special Olympics El Salvador

Luis Torres

Special Olympics Panamá

Patricia Peralta

Special Olympics Honduras

Rosalino Chávez

Special Olympics Paraguay

Ruth Alvarez

Special Olympics Panamá
SOMENA

Mohammed Abbad

Special Olympics Morocco

Esraa Al Khatib

Special Olympics Jordan

Abdulrhman Al Raqadi

Special Olympics Oman

Qais Alquibaisi

Special Olympics United Arab Emirates

Ahmad Antar

Special Olympics Lebanon

Hussain Darwish

Special Olympics Bahrain

Sherif Nada

Special Olympics Egypt

Nada Rachid

Special Olympics Tunisia

Youssef Ramadan

Special Olympics Egypt
SONA

Bruce Clarke

Special Olympics Texas

Dallas Sorken

Special Olympics Alberta Canada

David Duncan

Special Olympics Jamaica

Heidi Mallett

Special Olympics Prince Edward Island Canada

Julia Romualdi

Special Olympics Ontario Canada

Kellie Simmons

Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago

Kelvin Layne

Special Olympics Barbados

Lisa Noble

Special Olympics Illinois

Mary-Ellen Powers

Special Olympics Rhode Island

Raedian Felix

Special Olympics Dominica

Raymond Ervin

Special Olympics Alabama

Torben Schuffert

Special Olympics British Columbia
thousands of people in Olympiastadion for the Opening Ceremony of Berlin 2023

World Games Berlin 2023

Berlin, Germany • 17 – 25 June 2023

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