Wikipedia

2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games

The 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games, officially known as the XVI Special Olympic World Games or Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 (German: Special Olympics Weltspiele 2023), was the 16th summer Special Olympics. Held in Berlin, Germany, the Special Olympics lasted nine days, from 17 to 25 June 2023.[1] It marked the first time that Germany has hosted the Special Olympics World Games.[2] About 6,500 athletes and unified partners from approximately 178 countries competed in 26 sports, supported by 3,000 coaches and 18,000 volunteers.[3]

16th Special Olympics World Summer Games
16. Special Olympics Weltspiele
Host cityBerlin, Germany
Motto#UnbeatableTogether
(German: #ZusammenUnschlagbar)
Nations178
Athletes6,500
Events26 Sports
Opening17 June
Closing25 June
Opened byFrank-Walter Steinmeier
Torch lighterSophie Rensmann [de]
Main venueOlympiapark Berlin
WebsiteOfficial website
Summer
Winter

Host selection edit

The bid process was opened in November 2017.[4] Berlin, Germany was selected as the host city on 13 November 2018 at the Global Athlete Congress in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.[5] On 30 January 2020, Berlin was officially confirmed as the host city for the games.[6]

Venues edit

Events took place in fifteen venues:[7]

The Games edit

Ceremonies edit

Opening ceremony edit

 
Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was held at the Olympiastadion on 17 June 2023. President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened the games officially. Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner, and former Olympic athletes Dirk Nowitzki and Felix Neureuther also took part in the ceremony. The torch was lit by Special Olympic tennis player Sophie Rensmann. Blue Man Group took part in a couple musical performances during the ceremony.

Closing ceremony edit

The closing ceremony was held on Straße des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate on 25 June 2023.

Sports edit

Competitions were held in the following 26 sports:[8]

2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games

Basketball 3x3 made its debut at the Special Olympics and Field Hockey was featured as a demonstration sport.

Medals edit

The top three finishers of each competition were honored with gold, silver and bronze medals, while the fourth to eighth place finishers received ribbons with their placement printed on them. More than 4000 medals and 6600 placement ribbons were presented at 1,334 award ceremonies.[9]

Medal table edit

Unlike the Olympic and Paralympic Games the Special Olympics do not provide an official medal table, since there is supposed to be no competitive pressure among the nations. Apart from the medals and placement ribbons, participants who were disqualified or did not finish their competition were also awarded with participation ribbons in order to promote sportsmanship.[10][11][12]

  *   Host nation (Germany)

Medals won by participating delegations
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Germany*797296247
2  China563627119
3  Great Britain493618103
4  Canada46202995
5  India414625112
6  Hong Kong39251276
7  Belgium34291780
8  United States324533110
9  Hungary30261672
10  Bangladesh254534
11  Greece24152463
12  Italy23292476
13  Costa Rica23283788
14  Switzerland23221055
15  South Korea23211660
16  Finland23181354
17  Ireland22193071
18  Lithuania2211437
19  United Arab Emirates19212666
20  Romania1818743
21  Puerto Rico18171247
22  Netherlands17162861
23  Paraguay17141243
24  Norway16221250
25  Egypt16132251
26  Chinese Taipei16131039
27  Malta1611532
28  Poland15261657
29  Australia15222663
30  Macau1512835
31  Kenya154625
32  Iceland14161343
33  Sweden1471233
34  Austria13161645
35  Mexico1381132
36  Venezuela11121639
37  Pakistan10201848
38  Slovakia10161339
39  Spain10131538
40  Thailand1011526
41  Kazakhstan10101434
42  South Africa109726
43  Israel108826
44  Indonesia105823
45  Ivory Coast105621
46  Denmark9191543
47  Estonia9141336
48  Japan971026
49  Jamaica95418
50  Cyprus814931
51  Czech Republic812626
52  Portugal811827
53  Saudi Arabia861024
54  Monaco86519
55  Dominican Republic84214
56  El Salvador715931
57  Ecuador7111129
58  Kuwait79420
59  Syria781025
60  Brazil78924
61  Libya76922
62  Serbia76619
63  Panama74819
64  Jordan731020
65  Palestine72211
66  Oman691429
67  Slovenia68418
68  Bulgaria65920
69  Bolivia65617
70  Azerbaijan641323
71  Chile64414
72  Bahrain62311
  Malawi62311
74  Singapore62210
75  New Zealand5171234
76  Uzbekistan5131432
77  Guatemala510722
78  France591125
79  Ukraine59721
80  Colombia59620
81  Trinidad and Tobago57820
82  Gibraltar57416
83  Luxembourg55717
84  Faroe Islands55515
85  Honduras53614
86  Saint Kitts and Nevis5038
87  Burkina Faso46515
88  Malaysia45918
89  Morocco45312
90  Isle of Man441018
91  Iraq44412
92  Latvia4329
93  Nauru4228
94  Philippines4116
95  Uruguay312924
96  Fiji36615
97  San Marino36312
98  Peru36211
99  Argentina35210
100  Tunisia3519
101  Senegal34512
102  Andorra33511
103  Cuba3328
104  Benin32712
105  Iran3159
106  Zambia3115
107  Georgia3014
108  Mongolia26614
109  Mauritius26513
110  Suriname251320
111  Turkmenistan25411
112  Botswana2417
113  Cayman Islands23813
114  Lebanon23510
115  Seychelles2259
116  Zimbabwe2248
117  Liechtenstein2237
118  Aruba2226
  Curaçao2226
120  Uganda2215
121  Bermuda21710
122  East Timor2125
  Turkey2125
124  Bhutan2103
  Bonaire2103
126  Croatia2046
127  Maldives2013
128  Armenia2002
  Tajikistan2002
130  Nicaragua1427
131  Guadeloupe1258
132  Albania1225
  Haiti1225
  North Macedonia1225
135  Guyana1214
  Namibia1214
137  Bosnia and Herzegovina1135
138  Kosovo1113
  Rwanda1113
  Vietnam1113
141  Antigua and Barbuda1023
142  Cameroon1001
  Guinea1001
  Mali1001
145  Algeria091019
146  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0426
147  Dominica0415
148  Bahamas0314
149  Papua New Guinea0224
  South Sudan0224
151  Belize0213
  Qatar0213
153  Ghana0123
  Togo0123
155  Cambodia0112
  Lesotho0112
  Montenegro0112
  Samoa0112
159  DR Congo0101
  Laos0101
  Moldova0101
  Saint Lucia0101
163  Cape Verde0022
  Kyrgyzstan0022
  Palau0022
166  Eswatini0011
  Gambia0011
  Madagascar0011
  Tanzania0011
Totals (169 entries)1380136313174060
Source: [13]

Calendar edit

All times and dates use Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
OC Opening ceremony ● Event competitions 1 Gold medal events CC Closing ceremony
June 2023 June Events
17th
Sat 		18th
Sun 		19th
Mon 		20th
Tue 		21st
Wed 		22nd
Thu 		23rd
Fri 		24th
Sat 		25th
Sun
  Ceremonies OC CC —
Aquatics   Marathon swimming ● 5 5
  Swimming ● ● 14 9 7 9 5 44
  Athletics ● 12 34 19 15 10 6 1 97
  Badminton ● ● ● 3 3 2 2 10
  Basketball ● ● ● ● ● ● 4 4
  Boccia ● ● 1 1 2 2 6
  Bowling ● ● 9 2 1 1 1 14
  Cycling ● ● 5 2 2 2 1 1 13
  Equestrian ● 9 2 2 2 3 2 20
  Field hockey ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1
  Football ● ● ● ● ● 2 2 4
  Futsal ● ● ● ● 3 3
  Golf ● ● ● 5 5
  Artistic gymnastics ● 48 48
  Rhythmic gymnastics ● 21 44 53 12 130
  Handball ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
  Judo ● ● 6 6 6 18
  Kayaking ● 4 ● 5 9
  Powerlifting 18 21 10 10 10 10 79
  Roller skating ● ● 11 2 2 2 17
  Sailing ● ● ● ● 3 3
  Table tennis ● ● 2 2 2 2 8
  Tennis ● ● ● ● ● 8 6 14
  Beach volleyball ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
  Volleyball ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
Daily medal events 21 79 156 64 58 58 113 4 553
Cumulative total 21 100 256 320 378 436 549 553 553
June 2023 17th
Sat 		18th
Sun 		19th
Mon 		20th
Tue 		21st
Wed 		22nd
Thu 		23rd
Fri 		24th
Sat 		25th
Sun 		Total events
June

Participating National Programs edit

Below is a list of all 178 participating delegations. The number of competitors per delegation is indicated in parentheses.

Delegations to the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games

Marketing edit

Logo, branding and slogan edit

The logo and slogan were unveiled on December 14, 2021, at the Sky Deutschland studio. The emblem, which brings together solid colors and images of Berlin, was designed with the help of Special Olympics athletes. During a workshop, they shared their thoughts and feelings about the Games and inclusion. The list of feelings participants chose to be incorporated in the logo, which are represented by shapes and the five main logo colors, are joy, togetherness, excitement, pride and passion. Additionally, iconic symbols of Berlin are used to welcome athletes and visitors to the city. The Berlin Bear, in green, can be found on the city's coat of arms. Logo designers also felt it was important to honor Berlin's ability to overcome a past of separation and isolation after the city was divided at the end of World War II. The Brandenburg Gate, in red, and Fernsehturm Tower, in fuchsia, celebrate a unified city and Berlin as the capital of one Germany. Overall, the logo was created to evoke a sense of unity, diversity, playfulness and connection. The slogan #UnbeatableTogether or in German #ZusammenUnschlagbar represents Togetherness and overcoming borders collectively are main elements of the logo.[24]

References edit

  1. ^ "Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023". SpecialOlympics.org. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  2. ^ "Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 / 17 to 24 June". Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  3. ^ "The Berlin 2023 Games are over". berlin2023.org. 25 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Global search for 2023 Special Olympics World Games host begins". aipsmedia.com. 13 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Berlin, Germany selected to host the 2023 Special Olympics World Games". Special Olympics. 13 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Special Olympics Confirms Berlin as Host of 2023 World Games". Special Olympics. 30 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Our Venues for #Berlin2023". Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Our Sports". berlin2023.org.
  9. ^ "The Berlin 2023 Games are over". berlin2023.org. 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Special Olympics: Verlieren nicht möglich". ZDF.de (in German). 2023-06-20.
  11. ^ "Wieso die Special Olympics World Games ohne Medaillenspiegel auskommen". Die Rheinpfalz (in German). 2023-06-15.
  12. ^ "Special Olympics: Wegen zu guter Leistung disqualifiziert". Süddeutsche.de (in German). 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  13. ^ "Competition Schedule – Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023". results.specialolympics.org. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  14. ^ "Special Olympic Team To Compete In Berlin", Bernews
  15. ^ "Special Olympics Bharat", The Times of India
  16. ^ "255-member strong contingent to represent India at Special Olympics World Summer Games", sportstar.thehindu.com, 2023-06-05
  17. ^ "Award/Achievement". Special Olympics Indonesia. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Iran to compete in Special Olympics World Games", TehranTimes
  19. ^ "Prezidentas išlydėjo Lietuvos rinktinę į specialiąją olimpiadą – į sportininkus kreipėsi lengvai suprantama kalba", sportas24.lt
  20. ^ Malasig, Jeline (16 May 2023). "Philippines to send six athletes to 2023 Special Olympics World Games". InterAksyon. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Romanian athletes compete in Special Olympics World Games in Berlin". Romania Insider. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Team SA brings home 49 medals from the Special Olympics". kfm.co.za. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  23. ^ Manaleng, Palesa. "Special Olympics World Games: Team SA medal tally at 49". ewn.co.za. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  24. ^ "Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 Logo Reveal". Special Olympics. 21 December 2021.

External links edit

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2023_Special_Olympics_World_Summer_Games&oldid=1221274867"