The fifth ‘Empress Theophano’ Prize was awarded to Special Olympics, Chairman Dr. Timothy Shriver and CEO Mary Davis last week in Thessaloniki, Greece in a moving ceremony in the 2000-year-old Rotunda in Thessaloniki, Greece, in the presence of hundreds of global actors in the development community.
In his opening speech, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Theophano Foundation, Stavros Andreadis, stressed that humanity was and remains the perennial focus over the five-year course of the Prize, and that the overarching objective is to highlight values that light the way towards respect for each person's life, the way to a better global society in a world of cooperation and mutual understanding. “This year, I would say perhaps more emphatically than ever, the Empress Theophano Prize focuses on humanity: on human willpower, strength, effort, which never stops despite all adversities. Every day, the people of Special Olympics, athletes and volunteers, through the medium of sports, exceed their limitations, change their lives and transform society itself through their example,” stressed Mr. Andreadis.
Dr. Timothy Shriver expressed his gratitude for the Prize, noting that it was an accolade not just for the organization, but for a movement for human dignity, saying, “We accept this great prize in the name of the uniter of East and West—Theophano. We accept it as a sign that our athletes have won. They have won victories of their own. Their victories over division, over arrogance and over despair. We also accept it in the promise of bravery. This prize aims to reimagine Europe. That will require bravery. If it’s bravery that is needed, the athletes of Special Olympics have it. We want all schools in the world to teach inclusivity. We demand that health systems change and adapt to the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. All children, all adults, should be able to participate everywhere,” he said. He added, “we can heal the differences that divides us” and called on athletes to continue to be brave, bold and victorious, but to also show the world what it means to be free.
A Unified Run including Special Olympics Hellas athletes, their coaches and members of the community kicked off the morning after the award ceremony, prior to a roundtable held at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and moderated by Special Olympics Board Member and Global Athlete Congress Chair Kiera Byland. The nearly two-hour panel discussion titled: Inclusive Sports: Driving Human and Social Development for a Changing Europe, included opening remarks from Special Olympics CEO Mary Davis, conclusions from President Herman Van Rompuy, Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Theophano Foundation, and a lively panel discussion from panelists including Mr. Gilmour Borg, Global Athlete Leader from Malta, Ambassador Dionyssios Kodellas, President of Special Olympics Hellas, Chairman Dr. Timothy Shriver, Dr. Jacqueline Jodl, Chief, Global Youth and Education, Special Olympics and Klelia Pantazi, Olympic Medalist, Rhythmic Gymnastics. Panelists discussed how sports can promote social inclusion, support human development and address the challenges that societies face every day around the world. Dr. Shriver asked how many countries and educators around the world can answer how they are educating the heart. He said, “Every education minister in the world has an answer on what they are doing in technology, mathematics, and artificial intelligence. But I don’t think most educators can answer the question how you are educating the heart? The Special Olympics experience for children with and without ID provides an opening of the heart and a deepened sense of human dignity for all.”
Dr. Jackie Jodl further added that Special Olympics defines inclusion in education by, “We believe if you teach children to play together, they will be able to learn together and thrive together. In this simple framework there are really two lessons, despite the lack of clarity we see in the global conversations about inclusion in education, when you start to talk to youth, there is an absolute consistency in their definition in inclusion. They know what their definition is and what it looks like and most importantly, they know what it feels like. It feels like respect, connection and belonging. The second lesson that we learn is that youth and teachers are crystal clear about their desire to learn how to include. We must teach inclusion, and we have a simple framework that we use that works.”
Mr. Borg commented that before he joined Special Olympics, he was bullied. He said, “Unfortunately, I left school before I was able to read. I was targeted, because I was different. I joined Special Olympics and found friends and learned how to read. Now I am proud to say I’m in politics and I was elected by my peers. Special Olympics was the torch I needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
