Special Olympics Switzerland has found a smart and innovative way to keep providing athletes with the training they need—even in our new more restricted reality! The Special Olympics Switzerland Challenge is a new multilingual website and activity hub where athletes can participate in digital training sessions and competitions, no matter where in the world they are!
This clever solution provides access to a high-quality training, not unlike the sessions they used to have before the pandemic and allows our athletes to keep active and compete in a safe environment. Although the website is formatted for competitions, the videos and information can be used to improve skills and stay active at any time. The idea is that athletes and programmes can benefit from them now and for the months and years to come.
The Challenge officially launched in the summer and will continue for the coming months. Divided into two different series, the website offers training and challenges in 19 different disciplines. September kicked off with basketball, football, athletics, cycling and tennis. Like at any Special Olympics sports competition, each series is divided into three different phases: training, divisioning and competition, and diplomas and rewards will be assigned at the end of the challenge.
Bruno Barth, National Director of Special Olympics Switzerland, is really excited about the project and what it can offer athletes.
“First of all, after all the months when we had to cancel competitions, this is finally an activity we really can implement. And second, the Challenge is truly a professional training programme for our athletes to help them remain fit and develop their skills in different sports. Almost 300 athletes participated in the first series!”
Following the efforts of Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Romania; Special Olympics Switzerland Challenge is the latest programme to provide focused sports activities to our athletes and keep them engaged, fit, healthy and connected in these trying times. The Challenge has already been a huge success among our Special Olympics Switzerland athletes, but it is open to everyone. Why not join the competition and put your skills to the test!
