Ahead of the Special Olympics World Winter Games, the largest event for people with intellectual and multiple disabilities from 8 to 15 March in Turin, FC Bayern and its partner Deutsche Telekom invited around 35 athletes and their coaches to the Bundesliga match against Holstein Kiel at the Allianz Arena to send them off for the competitions in Italy. "Inclusion means that all people – regardless of their individual circumstances – can participate in social life on an equal footing," said Jan-Christian Dreesen, CEO of the German record champions. "FC Bayern is committed to ensuring that everyone can be part of our community as a matter of course and wants to encourage people to play an active role in our club life." One example of this is "our cooperation with the deaf fan club 'Red Deaf', with whom we have developed sign language for our players. Our Allianz Arena also sets standards in terms of accessibility. FC Bayern stands for openness and diversity – that's why it was important for us to support this farewell. We wish the athletes at the World Winter Games in Turin exciting competitions, great experiences and every success."
Dreesen joined Michael Hagspihl, Head of Strategic Marketing Partnerships and Sustainability at Telekom, and Carsten Schmidt from the German Special Olympics committee, to bid a symbolic farewell to the team led by participants Sophie Dziadek (short track) and Florian Daimer (alpine skiing) on the Allianz Arena pitch. Hagspihl thanked the German record champions for "offering the athletes a great stage in the stadium against this special backdrop. Telekom is actively committed to inclusion and the Special Olympics is a matter close to our hearts. With this campaign, we want to help break down barriers and strengthen respect and understanding."
In addition to the farewell ceremony on the pitch, the athletes and their coaches were treated to a special meeting among athletes in the Telekom Lounge: Thomas Müller personally conveyed his best wishes. "The athletes' performances at the Special Olympics are always impressive," said the 2014 World Cup winner. "The World Winter Games are an absolute highlight, like a World Cup for us footballers. I wish you all the best for Turin - go and win the medals." Schmidt was excited about the competitions: "We're really looking forward to the Games. The farewell today has strongly supported our endeavour to put our athletes in the public spotlight. We would like to thank Deutsche Telekom and FC Bayern for this and are travelling to Italy full of anticipation."
Over 1,500 male and female athletes from 102 countries are taking part in the World Winter Games, including 54 from nine state associations in Germany. They'll be competing in all eight categories of sport, from figure skating and alpine skiing to snowshoeing and floorball. Among the German participants is Georg Emmerdinger, who works for FC Bayern and will be competing in snowshoeing over 100 metres, 200 metres and in the 4 x 100 metre relay. Deutsche Telekom has been a partner of Special Olympics Germany since the beginning of 2024 and actively supports the association to raise the profile of the athletes' achievements and personalities.
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