TURIN, Italy, 9th March, 2025 (WAM) – Last night, the “Flame of Hope” was lit in the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, marking the official start of the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy, the world’s largest sports and humanitarian event of the year.
In a powerful display of unity and determination, more than 1,500 athletes and Unified partners from 100 nations took the Special Olympics oath: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” The breathtaking Strength of Kindness Opening Ceremony set the stage for unforgettable Games, celebrating inclusion, bravery, and the transformative power of sport.
2025 Special Olympics World Games President Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo welcomed everyone and said “I know that each one of you has carried a spark of the flame inside you, preparing and training, day after day. The ‘Flame of Hope’ is the hope in little things: a smile, a snowfall, a happy day. It is also the hope in bigger things: a welcoming community, an equitable society, a world at peace. You are the ‘Flame of Hope’. Carry it forward. We will be with you.”
Special Olympics International Chairman Dr. Timothy Shriver shared a message of what Special Olympics athletes can teach us. He said, “All of us here—doctors, teachers, law enforcement officers, coaches, families, volunteers, politicians, business leaders, faith leaders or partners. We all want to be brave like you – our athletes. What it looks like to treat everyone with dignity – that is bravery. This is your gift, your moment to be brave.”
Highlights of the Opening Ceremony included the Parade of Athletes, the Allegro Moderato Choir from Milan, a unified choir consisting of 51 singers with and without intellectual disabilities and the final leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run staged by a team of 106 runners.