Joint FINA Swimming World Cup relay with people with intellectual disabilities gets in the mood for the Special Olympics

 

"Together unbeatable" is the motto for the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, under which thousands of athletes with intellectual and multiple disabilities will compete in 26 sports from June 17 - 25, 2023. However, the special magic and unifying power of the world's largest inclusive sporting event begins to take effect much earlier: thanks to the FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin.

The greatest stars of aquatics are in the German capital, including 13 Olympic champions and 34 FINA World Champions - and together they will set a strong example for inclusion.

The first final leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup on Friday, October 21, will feature an extraordinary mixed relay as the final highlight of the day. Together with four international top stars and the most successful medal hamsters of the German Swimming Federation (DSV), eight athletes from Special Olympics Germany will compete together in the World Cup pool for a 4x25m relay.

It will certainly be an unforgettable experience for athletes Anne Richter, Dirk Barteld, Kai-Jürgen Pönisch, Olivier Wallis, Dominic Klug, Lukas Dietrich, Doreen Glaubitz and Claudia Wolfsteller. And, certainly, a wonderful test run for the Special Olympics World Games next year to be teamed up with the Olympic heroes Sarah Wellbrock and Florian Wellbrock or the newly crowned European Championships winners Isabel Gose and Lukas Märtens. With Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) and Matthew Sates (RSA), the two winners of last year's Berlin World Cup will be on board, as will backstroke world record holder Thomas Ceccon (ITA) and world champion Hali Flickinger (USA).

"When we heard about this wonderful idea for the first time, we spontaneously all said yes immediately. Even though I have a tight racing schedule in Berlin, I am very happy to be able to swim this special relay," said European champion Isabel Gose.

"Together we can achieve something big, together we are strong: With this relay, we are already bringing the motto of the Special Olympics to life," said Sven Spannekrebs from the organizing committee of the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, who used to work as a swimming coach himself for many years. And now, together with the DSV and FINA, he is making sure that athletes with and without disabilities perform unbeatably together."

Courtesy: German Swimming Federation (DSV)