Switzerland welcomes the global Special Olympics movement

The World Winter Games for people with disabilities will take place in Switzerland in 2029. From March 10 to 17, 2029, 2,500 athletes from more than 100 countries will get to know all regions of Switzerland, compete in nine sports and thus promote equal coexistence of all people in our society.

The World Winter Games are much more than just sport. Special Olympics Switzerland works closely with Swiss sports associations and sports clubs to jointly implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Games offer a profound experience for an inclusive Switzerland in which everyone has equal access to sport, education, health and all aspects of life.

The World Winter Games last twelve days and will bring together 2,500 athletes from 110 nations for sporting competitions in 9 disciplines. Countless coaches, family members, fans, volunteers and media from all over the world will accompany them. The Special Olympics World Games are the second largest winter sports event after the Olympic Games. Before the opening ceremony at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich on March 10, 2029, the athletes will get to know all regions of Switzerland in the Host Town program. After the closing ceremony on March 17, 2029, the effects of the games will live on in the hearts and minds of the people in the canton of Graubünden and throughout the country.

The sporting competitions are held in the canton of Graubünden: figure skating, short track, floorball, floor hockey in Chur; alpine skiing and snowboarding in Arosa and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dancing in Lenzerheide.

Read more about the World Winter Games Switzerland 2029 in the detailed interview in Sponsoring Extra .

Public funding secured

Public funding of CHF 28.6 million is secured. In the summer session, the Council of States, as the second chamber, dealt with the matter of "Support for major international sporting events in the years 2025-2029 commitment credits" at its meeting on June 1, 2023. The two chambers of the Federal Assembly have approved CHF 71.6 million for major sporting events with international appeal. The money will flow to several major events from 2025 to 2029. The Special Olympics World Winter Games 2029 will receive CHF 9.5 million of this.

The other six public partners (Canton of Graubünden, municipalities of Vaz-Obervaz and Arosa, City of Chur, Canton and City of Zurich) have already pledged their contributions totaling CHF 19.1 million.

Agency Twist developed logo and appearance

The search for an agency to develop the logo and the corporate identity was launched in December 2022. A call for tenders was used to contact agencies that, on the one hand, live inclusion and, on the other hand, are capable of realizing a project of this magnitude. The evaluation took place in two phases. In the first phase, the question was asked whether the agency was suitable and how inclusion was lived in the agency. The agencies also had to submit references that had already been realized. These two points were evaluated by a jury consisting of a Special Olympics athlete representative, two people from the local organizing committee, an inclusion expert and a branding expert.

Six providers from the first phase qualified for the second phase. What was a positive surprise was the fact that there are a number of companies in the communications industry in Switzerland that effectively practice inclusion and attach great importance to it. In the second phase, the applicants demonstrated how they would design the development process and how they would include people with intellectual disabilities. They also had to submit a budget.

The Nyon-based agency Twist emerged as the winner from the evaluations of the two phases . Since the World Winter Games Switzerland 2029 is a nationwide event, it is all the more pleasing that the contract goes to French-speaking Switzerland. The logo was presented on November 16, 2023 as part of the Sport.Forum.Switzerland.

Organization of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC)

In addition to the managing director of Special Olympics Switzerland, Bruno Barth , who chairs the LOC, the president of the SOSWI Graubünden support association, Urs Marti , will take a seat on the board as vice president. The mayor of Chur, who will remain in office until the end of 2024, is thus sending an important signal. Luana Bergamin and Stefan Frey are board members from the board of trustees of Special Olympics Switzerland. Lea Sandoz-Mey, a young personality committed to inclusion, will take a seat. Lea is the founder of inclusion360 and has been committed to the political and social participation of people with disabilities for several years. The founder and managing director of the ESB Marketing Network, Hans-Willy Brockes , has also been recruited as a board member. Hans-Willy is one of the most renowned personalities in European sports sponsorship. He built up the ESB network with more than 550 partners and, among other things, founded Sport.Forum.Schweiz. Silja Horber, a self-advocate, completes the seven-member board. Silja is an enthusiastic figure skater and has already taken part in Special Olympics events in various sports.

The board has appointed Beat Ritschard as General Secretary on an 80% basis. With his international experience and extensive event expertise, this important position has been filled from the outset.

The board works in a modern, transparent management structure. This ensures that the organization is set up efficiently and cost-sensitively within the framework of the underlying event concept and can gradually take on its tasks.

Inclusion Charter

The implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD) in Switzerland is the declared goal of the WWG 2029. The games will support Switzerland on its path to an inclusive society. The LOC aims to ensure that the partners of this major project - sponsors, contractors, host venues, mandated parties - support the goals of the UN-CRPD, formally expressed with a charter and with visible commitment, such as creating jobs in the primary labor market.

The charter was presented in Bern on 23 November 2023 and can be found on a specially created homepage (in D/F/I/E).

Note: Contact Org for more information about the event's details.