Today, the 39 athletes of the Swiss delegation were also extremely active: The training for the skiers and snowboarders consisted of a ski race with another approximately 40 athletes from all over Switzerland. The floorball team was able to demonstrate their skills during a friendly match. The dance duo and the ice sports athletes honed both their technique and their show, and the cross-country and snowshoe team improved their fitness with intensive sessions.

Swiss Television was again on site and accompanied various athletes during their training sessions. The segment in SRF Sportpanorama will be broadcast on Sunday, December 19. The report from RSI will also be shown this Sunday in the program “Domenica Sportiva”.

The 39 athletes of Team Switzerland trained hard today in all sports – Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Dance Sport, Floorball, Figure Skating, and Speed Skating. The snowshoers were particularly in focus, as RTS was on site to shoot a report about them. The athletes practiced the start, among other things, so as not to lose valuable hundredths of a second at the beginning of the race. They also practiced getting up quickly and independently should they fall during the run.

The report on RTS will be broadcast on February 2 in the Tagesschau.

More about the Games.

The entire Team Switzerland for the World Games Turin 2025 will meet from January 16-19 for the second and final training camp in Villars-sur-Ollon. The athletes and coaches will refine their technique and be attuned to the competition situations they need to be prepared for at the World Winter Games. These will take place from March 8-15, 2025 in Turin, Bardonecchia, Pragelato and Sestriere.

Switzerland is represented by a delegation of 68 and will compete in the sports of Alpine skiing, Snowboarding, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Floorball, dancing, Figure Skating and speed skating.

On the first day, the delegation members will receive their equipment, learn further details about the World Games, and will bond as a team during a first cozy dinner. Training sessions will take place in all disciplines on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

More about the World Winter Games

More about Team Switzerland

A great fundraising project came to a worthy conclusion shortly before Christmas. Lucian Hofstetter, secondary school teacher and triathlete from Hausen am Albis, has not only collected donations for Team Switzerland Turin 2025 with an extraordinary running challenge, but has also touched many people and made his students aware of the topic of inclusion. Athletes from Special Olympics Switzerland visited various lessons at the Sek Hausen am Albis, discussed inclusion with the students, taught cha-cha-cha in sports class or presented the sports philosophy of Special Olympics.

Since December 1, Lucian has run one kilometer more every day, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by athletes or friends, and once even by Olympic champion Nicola Spirig. The fundraising campaign came to a worthy conclusion with a run by the entire secondary school. Countless students with many of their own sponsors in the background motivatedly ran as many laps as possible to support Team Switzerland.

An incredible 40,000 francs have been raised over the past few weeks. Thank you very much, Lucian. However, you have not only made a very large contribution to Team Switzerland, but you have also touched hearts and made a big difference. Many thanks also to all donors and partners of Run4Turin!

We look forward to more adventures together!

More about the Run4Turin campaign.

A good 25 runners were in Zug on Sunday and accompanied Lucian Hofstetter on his 15 kilometers. Everyone enthusiastically ran their laps with Lucian in their own rhythm and pace.

The dedicated secondary school teacher and triathlete is using his great running challenge to collect donations for Team Switzerland Turin 2025. Since December 1st, Lucian has been running one kilometer more every day until he will cover 31 kilometers on December 31st. With this campaign, he is not only collecting donations, but also raising awareness among his community and students for the topic of inclusion. You can find more about the overall project here.

A huge thank you to Lucian for this unique project and to all the runners and partners who actively support him.

You can find pictures here.

Many thanks to René Tiefenauer.

The countdown to the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 begins with the unveiling of the official mascot, Moly. Moly represents the creativity and inclusion at the heart of the Special Olympics movement. The mascot was brought to life through a competition involving over 2,500 students with and without intellectual disabilities. Their incredible designs demonstrated the power of teamwork and imagination.

Yesterday, Moly was presented to the public for the first time at a press conference in Turin.

Read the story behind Moly.

The Games will take place in Italy from March 8-15, 2025.

Read more here.

Learn more about the 69-member Team Switzerland here.

Victoria Kälin and Lukas Hämmerli, a Dance Sport couple from Special Olympics Switzerland, achieved impressive results at their first tournament in Munich. At the Dance Sport competition of Special Olympics Bavaria, they prevailed against strong competition and won the first international Dance Sport medals for Switzerland.

In the “Couple” category, they impressed with a lively Viennese Waltz and secured silver. A slight uncertainty narrowly prevented them from winning. In the “Duo” category, however, they captivated the jury with a challenging Cha-Cha-Cha choreography and won gold.

Proud coach Christine Hämmerli was thrilled: “For the harmoniously danced Viennese Waltz in the Couple Ballroom, they deservedly received silver, and gold for the excellent Cha-Cha-Cha in the Duo category. The joy is immense!”

Without a break, the two athletes are now preparing for the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin in March. With dedication and pride, they aim to shine for Switzerland once again there.

Full report

All images

Lucian Hofstetter, a teacher and triathlete from Steinhausen, has big plans. As an ambassador for Team Switzerland Turin 2025 from Special Olympics, he uses his passion for running for a good cause. With an extraordinary running project, he wants to collect donations for the 39 athletes who have been selected for the World Winter Games Turin 2025: From December 1st, he will run one kilometer more every day until he completes a full 31 kilometers on New Year’s Eve. A total of an incredible 496 km in one month! Runners and fans are invited to run with him, keep his running morale high, compete with him or simply cheer him on.

As a teacher and Instagrammer, it is also very important to him not only to collect donations but also to raise awareness among his students and his large community for the vision of an inclusive sports world. Thanks to his network, he can make a big difference. Since the next Special Olympics National Games are taking place in Zug — practically on his doorstep — it was natural for Lucian to implement his vision together with us.

Lucian is looking forward to the sporting challenge and says: “I want to contribute to an inclusive society and use my reach to make a difference. It is very important to me to teach my students more than just knowledge and I will involve them directly in the project during physical education lessons.”

The running campaign starts on December 1st and lasts throughout the month until the end of the year. You can find more information on how you can support Lucian and his project here.

Follow Lucian on the teaching triathlete

More about the project

Special Olympics and Paralympics – two movements, one common denominator. While Special Olympics allows athletes with intellectual disabilities of all ability levels to compete in competitions, National or World Games, the Paralympics focus on elite athletes with physical disabilities who qualify for the quadrennial Games through their performance. Our common denominator, however, is sport. Together, we send a strong message for diversity and recognition in sport.

We wish Team Switzerland Paris 2024 great success at the Paralympics!

Learn more about both organizations here.

The 68-member Swiss delegation for the World Winter Games Turin 2025 met in St. Moritz for a first delegation camp. The first day’s program included photo shoots, film shoots, media training, and measuring for equipment. The second day was dedicated to training. In some sports, the athletes were surprised by very special coaches: in Figure Skating, Sarah van Berkel gave valuable tips, the Short Track athlete was trained by national coach Martin Hänggi, the skiers enjoyed a training session with Marc Berthod and Vanessa Kasper, and the Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing team was able to benefit from Fabienne Alders’ expertise.

Switzerland will participate in the sports of Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Floorball, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, and Dance Sport at the World Winter Games for people with intellectual disabilities, which will take place from March 8-16, 2025 in Italy and France.

Figure Skating, Dance Sport, and Speed Skating are not yet official competition sports at Special Olympics Switzerland, but they are on the program at the World Games, the world’s largest sports movement for people with disabilities. In view of the World Winter Games, which will take place in Switzerland in March 2029, these disciplines are now also being promoted in Switzerland and included in the program. For the World Winter Games Turin 2025, a small team has therefore been selected for these sports for the first time.

Image: Team Switzerland Italy 2025, WeArePepper/Sebastian Schneider