Special Olympics 2023: Success in figures
Berlin, 12. August 2024: Berlin can do inclusion – at Olympic level. The Spree metropolis has impressively demonstrated this by hosting the Special Olympics World Games 2023. The world’s largest inclusive sporting event takes place every four years and is organised either as a summer or winter event. In 2023, the World Games were hosted for the first time in Germany, more precisely in Berlin, from 17 to 25 June and were funded equally by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the State of Berlin. The Spree metropolis presented its best side and offered the thousands of athletes with intellectual and multiple disabilities a magnificent stage for inspiring sporting performances. An evaluation report that has now been published shows the effects and lasting impact of the sporting event for Berlin.
In order to categorise correctly the economic, but also the social dimension and the economic impact of the Special Olympics World Games on the host city of Berlin, it is first worth taking a look at some figures. Over the nine days of the event, 6,500 athletes in 26 sports took part in the World Games and were honoured with 4,002 medals. They were supported by 3,000 coaches and 18,000 volunteers from 126 countries and 330,000 spectators. 1,800 media representatives from 90 countries ensured that the top sporting achievements were heard and recognised beyond Berlin’s borders. The event was accompanied by 143 hours of a colourful festival programme.
A great success for everyone involved? Absolutely. This is also confirmed by the evaluation of the Special Olympics World Games using the city return model for the assessment and evaluation of sporting events in Berlin. The aim is to demonstrate the effects and lasting impacts of sporting events on the city and local sports development. More than 70 metrics are assigned to the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, ecological and social.
An overview of some of the results of the evaluation:
- Social dimension: The World Games were characterised by countless encounters between people with and without disabilities. In this way, prejudices could be reduced and exchange promoted. The evaluation also categorises the sporting event as a best-practice example of an accessible sporting event and concludes: The impressions and experiences gained can help to position Berlin permanently as an inclusive sports metropolis. 18,000 volunteers, including 250 volunteers with intellectual disabilities or other disabilities, and 413,000 volunteer hours in Berlin underline the enormous potential on a social level. Also noteworthy: As part of the school sports week, around 80 schools and more than 2,200 students took part in (inclusive) activities offered by numerous Berlin sports clubs.
- Economic dimension: The numerous visitors generated total added value of 255.1 million euros. The cross-media QI advertising value in connection with the World Games amounts to 6.3 million euros. A total of 400 hours of live sport were produced. The media alliance of eleven leading German media companies brought a lot of attention to the games. In numbers this means: 193 million euros through 15 million hours watched on TV and streaming. In the social media area, 70,700 event-related posts were made, generating 10.7 million engagements. Overall, the Berlin World Games were perceived as extremely positive by both Berliners and visitors, but above all by event experts.
- Ecological dimension: During the World Games, only existing sports and event venues were used in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the sporting event and to think “green”. The “Greener Games” initiative of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) also greatly improved the environmental compatibility of the World Games. The measures implemented included: a sustainable catering concept, the integration of urban public transport into the mobility concept, the avoidance of domestic air travel and optional CO2 compensation in the online ticket shop. However, the conclusion of the evaluation is: Even more is possible.
Overall, the World Games and the associated sustainability programmes and corresponding measures aimed to raise awareness of socially relevant topics such as inclusion, tolerance and sport in Berlin and Germany. This is accompanied by other impressive figures, for example in the area of networking between sport and culture. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at the entire evaluation report as well as the future: The next Special Olympics World Games will be held in Turin from 8 to 16 March 2025. The 48 German athletes in eight sports will certainly be looking forward to loud and peaceful support from their own country on the international stage.
