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Press Releases

Toyota Delivers the First Vehicles for Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025: Together for an Inclusive and Barrier-Free Sport

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  • Toyota began today the delivery of vehicles supporting Special Olympics Winter World Games Torino 2025 during an official ceremony at Toyota Motor Italia headquarters in Rome.
  • The fleet, consisting of 140 electrified vehicles provided through car-sharing subsidiary KINTO Italia, including the new Toyota C-HR Plug-In Hybrid, the symbol of Toyota's multi-technology approach, will support the event's mobility needs, aiming to provide safe, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly transportation for stakeholders, staff, volunteers, and guests.
  • The partnership aims to promote, through the values of sport, a society without barriers and discrimination, where everyone can face and overcome their challenges.

[Rome, Italy – 13 February 2025] Toyota, as a global partner of Special Olympics® and Mobility Partner for Special Olympics Winter World Games Torino 2025, has started delivering the first vehicles destined for the event, scheduled from March 8 to 15, 2025.

The fleet, intended to meet the mobility needs of this important international event dedicated to athletes with intellectual disabilities, aims to provide safe transportation with a reduced environmental impact for stakeholders, staff, volunteers, and guests. This support seeks to highlight the talent, determination, and ability to overcome barriers that Special Olympics athletes exemplify with extraordinary strength and inspiration.

The delivery ceremony took place at Toyota Motor Italia headquarters in Rome, in the presence of Miroslaw Krogulec, Vice President of Sports at Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, Luca Dicillo, Sponsorship Account Manager of the World Winter Games Turin 2025 Local Organizing Committee, and Alberto Santilli, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia.

“By providing access to a fleet of vehicles during Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, Toyota Motor Italia is sending a powerful message via this sport event, of solidarity with people who are too often pushed to the margins. People with intellectual disabilities face roadblocks in nearly every aspect of life, and our global partnership with Toyota demonstrates that corporations can help make the world more accessible, inclusive, and respectful.”
Miroslaw Krogulec, Vice President of Sports at Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia

Luca Di Cillo, Sponsorship Account Manager, Local Organizing Committee for Special Olympics Winter World Games Turin 2025, stated: “Toyota Motor Italia is supporting efforts to deliver a world-class sporting event for people with intellectual disabilities. A multi-sport event like the World Winter Games requires heroic collaboration across industries. Toyota Motor Italia’s provision of a fleet of electrified vehicles represents a critical contribution to the World Winter Games, supporting transportation needs in a professional and sustainable manner.”

Alberto Santilli, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia, stated: "For us, it is very significant to begin the journey toward Turin 2025 with the delivery of this fleet of vehicles, bringing to life a collaboration where technology and values come together to support an event that celebrates inclusion and courage. The fleet made available to the Games represents our multi-technology approach at its best. Thanks to the combination of innovative and electrified technological solutionsFull Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, and Full Electric—we can offer sustainable, safe, and accessible mobility, designed to support the diverse mobility needs of our customers and major sporting events. Being alongside Special Olympics is for us a great source of pride: the athletes represent an example of determination, courage, and strength. These same values inspire us every day to develop technologies capable of improving quality of life and ensuring freedom of movement for all, leaving no one behind."

Overall, Toyota, through car-sharing subsidiary KINTO Italia, will provide 140 electrified vehicles, representing its multi-technology approach, which integrates advanced solutionsFull Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, Full Electric, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell—to meet diverse mobility needs with environmental sustainability and innovation. Among the models included are Toyota bZ4X, a fully electric SUV, Toyota RAV4 and Corolla Cross with Full Hybrid technology, Proace Verso Electric for group transport, and the new Toyota C-HR Plug-In Hybrid, equipped with fifth-generation hybrid technology and an electric urban range of up to 100 km.

The collaboration with Special Olympics, launched in 2020 as part of a global and European agreement between Toyota Group companies in Italy and Special Olympics Italy, is part of an established international strategy to promote a more inclusive society. Toyota has always been committed to promoting freedom of movement for every person, developing innovative technologies to enhance quality of life, minimize environmental impact, and advance sustainable and accessible mobility solutions.

About Special Olympics

Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global sports movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health and leadership. With over four million athletes and Unified Sports® partners and one million coaches and volunteers in 200 countries, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and nearly 50,000 games and competitions every year. Engage with us on: X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Learn more at SpecialOlympics.org.

About Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025

The world’s largest sports and humanitarian event is coming to Turin, Italy. 1,500 athletes representing 102 countries will gather for the sporting experience of a lifetime—competing at the Winter Games taking place from 8 – 15 March. Sports disciplines featured are Alpine SkiingCross Country SkiingDanceSportFigure SkatingFloorballShort Track Speed SkatingSnowboarding and Snowshoeing.

Special Olympics, the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 Organizing Committee and Special Olympics Italy proudly thank our sponsors for their generous support and commitment, specifically The Coca-Cola Company, Proud Global Partner of the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 and Founding Partner of Special Olympics; Toyota Motor Europe, Presenting Sponsor and Mobility Partner; Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Presenting Sponsor; and our Main Sponsors Brightspot, Lions Clubs International Foundation; and Official Sponsors ESPN and Robe di Kappa. 

We also thank regional and local Italian organizations for their support of the Winter Games: the Italian Government Federal Ministries of Sport and Youth, Tourism, and Disabilities, Piedmont Region, City of Turin, City of Bardonecchia, City of Sestriere, City of Pragelato, the Italian National Olympic Committee and the Italian Paralympic Committee.

For more information on the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit https://www.turin2025.org

About Toyota Motor Europe

Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR (Gazoo Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs over 26,000 people and has invested over EUR 12 billion in Europe since 1990. Its eight European manufacturing plants are located in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey. Today, there are approximately 14.7 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,800 retail sales outlets in 53 countries (EU, UK, EFTA countries , Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries). In 2024, TME sold 1,217,132 vehicles in Europe for a 7.1% market share. For more information, visit www.toyota-europe.com.

Toyota believes that when people are free to move, anything is possible. In the pursuit of "Mobility for All", Toyota aims to create safer, more connected, inclusive and sustainable mobility to achieve its mission of producing “Happiness for All”. In Europe, TME launched the KINTO mobility brand which offers a range of mobility services in 20 countries, and is growing its business-to-business sales of zero-emission fuel cell products and engineering support. Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Toyota is working to achieve carbon neutrality in its entire business across Europe. A historic leader in CO2 reduction in Europe, TME aims to achieve 100% CO2 reduction in all new vehicles in Western Europe by 2035 and will continue to offer a full range of electrified powertrains to customers across the region with its hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles.  
Media Contact

Rebecca Simon

Special Olympics International
Senior Director of Communications
+1 (202) 824-0344