Алғашқы Special Olympics Еуропалық отбасылар апталығы басталды

Through a range of Family Health Forums және other online және offline family-focused activities across the region such as sport achievement celebrations, short films celebrating the roles of families, podcasts және school campaigns, спортшылар және олардың отбасылары are coming together to recognise the fierce power of family involvement. Supported by Lions Clubs International Foundation және Samuel Family Foundation, this debut Еуропалық отбасылар апталығы aims to shine a spotlight on the immense power of families. The week will culminate in an array of online және offline activities taking place on 15 May, the Біріккен Ұлттар Ұйымының (БҰҰ) Халықаралық отбасы күні.

There are over 663,000 family members registered with Special Olympics across the world, including 40,000 across Еуропа және Еуразия. Globally, we have a total of almost 40,000 trained family leaders, almost 6,000 of whom are located in our region.

Special Olympics Sargent Shriver Global Messenger (SSGM), Margaret Turley, commented on the role that her family has played in her personal development, as well as her sports және professional career. She said, “I am delighted to see the launch of a dedicated week to celebrate families like mine across Special Olympics. My brother және sister are my role models, when I was younger they were going to college және were learning to drive a car. They pushed me және encouraged me to follow in their footsteps. I did not want to be left behind. I was going to achieve things in my life like they achieved in theirs. So, I worked hard to go және study in Trinity College in Dublin және I learnt how to drive a car және passed my driving test! I have not look back. Now I am still achieving both in my work және in Special Olympics. My siblings were so proud of when I was chosen in the SSGM role!”

Special Olympics Қазақстан President және Managing Director, Sven Albrecht, said, “Families form the backbone of our movement. They encourage, support, nurture және celebrate our athletes at every step of their journey – on және off the sports field. With almost 40,000 family members және almost 6,000 family leaders registered across our region, the appetite from families to play a central role in Special Olympics is clear. Through workshops, Family Health Forums, және a range of other online және offline community initiatives, the inaugural Special Olympics Еуропалық отбасылар апталығы, aims to not only celebrate families, but also raise awareness of the challenges that they face және urgent need for support. A special thanks to our partners, Lions Clubs International Foundation және Samuel Family Foundation, for your generous support of this pioneering initiative.”

The power of family support is evident in the homes of Special Olympics athletes the world over. Special Olympics Румыния snowshoer, Anca Miron, who will launch a children’s book following her journey to the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, as part of the Еуропалық отбасылар апталығы, says, “The family is important. They helped me in every way. My first tango teacher was my brother, Matei. My family members are my biggest supporters, through good times және bad times." Anca’s mother, Luminita, adds, “"Family has been so important in Anca's journey. [When she was born], it was period in which we didn't know much about people with intellectual disabilities. We found out the next day after she was born that she had Down syndrome. At that time, news like that was not encouraging at all. Anca was welcomed with open arms. I was quite affected by the diagnosis that was given, but everyone around me supported me. She is the best child a parent could have."