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Approximately 15,000 players participated in football (soccer) events held in more than 40 countries throughout the Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia region during the third Special Olympics European Football Week, which took place 22-29 April 2003. This article (2 of 3) recaps of some of the many ways the week was celebrated throughout the region.
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Tournament in Poland includes Unified Sports® and women's teams
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Special Olympics player (left) playing with Unified partner (right) from Polish women's second league Gass Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Former national player Jacek Ziober said, "It's great to see how the women players want to win and how brave they are during a match." [Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz] |
Special Olympics Poland organized a national football tournament in Jedrzejów 24-27 April. Seven male Unified Sports® football teams competed. For the first time in Poland, three Special Olympics women's team competed as well.
"The female players are good individually. They just need more time to play as a team," said former national player Jacek Ziober. "It's great to see how they want to win and how brave they are during a match." Referring to the entire tournament, Ziober, said, "I want to congratulate the coaches for their enthusiasm and excellent preparation of all participants in this tournament."
One of the females teams participated in a Unified match with second league leader Gass Grodzisk Mazowiecki at a football gala held in Warsaw on 29 April. Around 2,000 spectators watched the match.
Events in Bulgaria
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Special Olympics athlete Anton Markov meets Bulgarian President George Purvanov. [Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Bulgaria] |
Special Olympics Bulgaria Anton Markov and Dimiter Kolev, who will be competing in at the Special Olympics World Games in Dublin, kicked off the ball at the start of a match between first league teams PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv and PFC Marek Dupnitza Locomotiv. The two Special Olympics footballers were then invited to watch the action from the officials tribune. The match took place on 25 April in Plovdiv. Both team captains and the referees appeared on the pitch in Special Olympics T-shirts. On 29 April in Sofia businessmen and journalists competed in an exhibition match in an effort to raise public awareness about the needs of Special Olympics athletes. Three female international referees officiated at the match. Bulgarian President George Purvanov, who headed a list of distinguished guests watching the match, signed a proclamation to support Special Olympics.
Iceland's football association makes gift of uniforms
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Participants at the football event in Iceland. {Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Iceland] |
Special Olympics Iceland held its football event on 12 April, 2003 in Reykjavik. Sixty players between the ages of 8 and 55 competed in a one-day tournament. The event was organized by The Football Association of Iceland. As a gift from the association, every participant received a national football uniform that had been worn by a national team player. "Our football players were very happy to receive the uniforms and were keen to emulate the national players who had worn the jerseys," said Anna Lina Vilhjalmsdottir, national director, Special Olympics Iceland.
More than 3,000 athletes play in Russian competition
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The delegation from Irkutia, near the Arctic Circle, traveled approximately 10,000 km to compete in the St. Petersburg tournament. [Photo by Michael Smith, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia] |
Twenty teams from throughout the Russian Federation participated in the finals of the Special Olympics Russia football competition, hosted in St. Petersburg by the professional club FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Special Olympics St. Petersburg. This competition was the culmination of regional football competitions throughout Russia in which more than 3,000 Special Olympics players participated.
One of the teams, from Irkutia near the Arctic Circle, traveled approximately 10,000 km to St. Petersburg to participate in the tournament. Vitaly Mutko, President of FC Zenit and new chairman of the Russian Premier Football League, commented "Besides being a top football club, it is very important for Zenit to have a goal of helping its local community. Providing opportunities for Special Olympics football players is a very good way to achieve this goal."
Tremendous support in Serbia and Montenego
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Football team in Niš, Serbia and Montenegro. [Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Serbia and Montenegro] |
In Serbia and Montenegro, 16 cities hosted events for more than 1,200 footballers, mainly ranging in age from 14-18 years old. For young players who live in an institution in Tutin, the football event was the first sports activity they had ever participated in.
There was tremendous support for the week's events from the football association of Serbia and Montnegro and first league football clubs. At a derby match between FK Crevena Zvezda and FF Partizan, players wore Special Olympics T-shirts and carried a Special Olympics banner prior to kick off. The match was seen by 38,000 spectators and it was televised live on TV Pink, the country's largest commercial broadcaster which also can be viewed in neighboring countries.
Overall media coverage was outstanding, particularly at local level with reports in eight daily newspapers, four weekly magazines as well as various reports on television and radio. One of the country's most popular daily sports newspapers, "Sports Journal," wrote about a lengthy article about the European Football Week event that was held in Stara Pazova.
Multiple events in Spain
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The Special Olympics Spain football team that will be competing in the Special Olympics World Summer Games poses with Rafael Martin Vazquez, Special Olympics Spain football ambassador. [Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Spain] |
During European Football Week, more than 100 Special Olympics athletes celebrated a "Football Day" at the Niño Jesús College" on 23 April in Madrid, Spain. In Seville, a similar celebration took place at the San Pablo Sort Centre with more than 170 Special Olympics footballers participating. On 24 April an exhibition match with Special Olympics athletes and the Real Madrid FC veteran team was held. Special Olympics football ambassador Rafael Martin Vazquez and star players Butragueño, Paco Buyo, Patxi, Carlos Santillana, García Cortés and others took part in the event that was held at Real Madrid Sport City. Professional clubs, such as FC Barcelona, also showed their support during the week.
Regional tournaments in Ukraine
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Vladimir Mun'tyan, former Soviet national team member and Kostyantyn Slynyachuk, Special Olympics Ukraine national director, pose with one of the members of the Edelveis club's female team, which played in the exhibition match with seven male teams. "I want to support Special Olympics footballers and help change their lives," said Muntyan. [Photo courtesy of Miroslav Krogulec, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia] |
In total, 1028 footballers participated in football week events in Ukraine with 700 participating in eight regional tournaments in Rivne, Poltava, Sevastopol, Chernigiv, Xerson and Lvov from 22-27 April. A few of the highlights of these tournaments:
- In Lvov, the month of April was designated "Special Olympics Football Month" at Lvov State Institute of Physical Culture. During the month more than 1,000 people with mental and physical disabilities attended meetings, picnics and sports events, all with a focus on Special Olympics football. Lvov University students were involved in organizing all events, while local print and television provided coverage. Designated the month represented a significant milestone for the movement's development in the region in which the Special Olympics Adapted Physical Education project, and Prof. Yuriy Briskin in particular, have been instrumental.
- In Sevastopol a seven-aside tournament involving 70 players was held, which included three female teams for the first time. The event was supported by the Sevastopol football association and local government. Local television covered the event.
- In Chernigiv a 5-a-side tournament for 100 players was organized with cooperation from the "Union of the Invalids of Chernobyl."
The final competition was held in Kiev from 24-25 April. Supported by the Kiev football association which presented balls to each team, the competition involved seven male teams and one female team from the Edelveis club. Ukrainian veterans from the former Soviet national team who played from 1973-1983 attended, including legends Victor Bel'kov and Vladimir Mun'tyan. The veterans were immensely popular with the Special Olympics footballers and they were eager to help, assisting the teams during the Parade of Athletes at Opening Ceremonies.
The veterans also played an exhibition match with the female team, enhancing their show of support by wearing Special Olympics T-shirts. "This is the first time I have ever met Special Olympics footballers and I want to support them and help change their lives," Mun'tyan said. The final was televised on Kiev Sports Television.
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