From June 16 to 25, 2023, Berlin hosted 7,000 Special Olympics athletes and Unified Partners from about 170 countries. The athletes were supported by over 3,000 coaches and 20,000 volunteers.
The Special Olympics is the world’se largest sports organization for children, teenagers, and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing them with the opportunity to train and compete year-round in many Olympic-style sports. The organization transforms the lives of athletes with intellectual disabilities through their athletic achievements.
This year, the largest inclusive sports event took place in Berlin over the course of 9 days. Thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities competed in 26 sports.
The initiative to support the athletes at the Olympics with volunteers was led by the branch of the “Kazakhstan Special Olympics” in Almaty, under the direction of project leader and “Service Learning” program head at AlmaU, Gulnara Bokanovna Asemkulova.
The volunteer team was formed through a rigorous selection process and interviews, which took place in three stages. Participants who successfully passed the first stage were interviewed by special members of the “Organizing Committee gGmbH.” Out of 150 applicants, only 30 participants (including those from AlmaU) became official volunteers for the “Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023.”
“During the sports competitions, our students were involved in various areas such as servicing sports venues, assisting with the organization of food and accommodation for participants and guests, guiding tours, providing translation assistance, and working in information centers. Our volunteers had the opportunity to learn about different cultures, gain new knowledge and qualifications, and also made friends with other volunteers from all over the world. I believe that high moral qualities, humanity, improving the world around us, and helping people is the duty of every individual,” emphasized Gulnara Asemkulova, project leader of the “Service Learning” program.