March 10, 2025: Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 began with an enthralling opening ceremony on the night of March 8 in Turin, Italy
Based on the theme ‘the Strength of Kindness’, the ceremony featured various cultural and musical performances, followed by the customary march of athletes and coaches.
India’s contingent of 49 members, including 30 athletes and 19 support staff members, also took part in the opening ceremony with the Flame of Hope being led by Special Olympics Bharat athlete, Shivanjali. The athletes engaged in the ceremony with great fervor and were seen walking the parade, with the tricolor in their hands, while enjoying the tunes that played in the background.
The opening ceremony also featured performances from various notable stars, who gathered to honour the dedication and hard work of the athletes. Grammy-nominated singer Aloe Blacc sang various of his hits, jolting the crowd with energy while the Italian singer and rapper Mr. Rain gave a mesmerising performance, singing his famous song Supereroi.
Speaking about the opening ceremony, Dr. Mallika Nadda, President of Special Olympics Bharat, said, “Turin hosted a wonderful opening ceremony for the athletes ready to take part in the Special Olympics World Winter Games. I would like to thank Ms. Vani Rao, India’s ambassador to Italy, for receiving and welcoming our athletes to the country and making them feel at home. It felt great to see our athletes walking the parade with the national flag in their hands and also enjoying their arrival on the world stage. I am now looking forward to witnessing their spirited performances in the tournament and making the country even more proud.”
The tournament will feature around 1500 athletes from 102 countries taking part in 8 sports over the period of 15 days. Indian athletes will be taking part in 6 sporting disciplines- Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Floorball, Short Speed Skating, Snowboarding and Snow Shoeing, which will be played across four venues. Speed Skating and Florball will take place in Turin while Snowshoeing and Alpine Skiing will be organized in Sestriere. Snowboarding and Cross Country Skiing, on the other hand, will be played in Bardonecchia and Pragelato respectively.
About Special Olympics Bharat:
Special Olympics Bharat is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc. USA, to conduct sports and development programs all over India. Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education, and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Bharat is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India as a National Sports Federation for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. It is incumbent to inform that Special Olympics and Paralympics are separate entities wherein the former reaches out to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and, the latter to those with physical challenges. SO Bharat has over 1.5 million Athletes registered across all the States and Union Territories of India.