Keynote speech by Mary Davis, CEO Special Olympics International at Theophano Round Table

Good evening, everyone,

I’m so happy to be here in the midst of such beauty and history that Thessaloniki offers. It’s not my first visit to celebrate Special Olympics because we lit the Flame of Hope here in 2014 for the European Special Olympics Games which were held in Antwerp. And in fact, that torch was received in Brussels by the then President of the European Council, Herman Van Rumpoy.

I’m so happy also because we have been invited here to celebrate the achievements of our athletes, who every day show us their gifts and talents and teach the world what it really means to be included.

Greece has a long and important history with Special Olympics. From the many great torch lighting ceremonies, to the Hosting of our World Games in Athens in 2011. We’ve seen how the seeds that were planted at that Games have germinated over the last 13 years into greater visibility and self-actualization for our community.

Every World Games creates a legacy – and I am so inspired to see how Greece and all of our European programmes have proudly embraced the mantle of inclusion and found ways to celebrate difference in the intervening years.

Last night, we heard Chairman Tim Shriver speak about how Special Olympics’ expansion has paralleled Europe’s own journey toward embracing diversity, dialogue, interdependence and social inclusion, the very same values that the Empress Theophano Prize seeks to recognize and promote.

Today’s panel is intended to expand that conversation, exploring our shared values from the panelists’ own perspectives – from the education field, the diplomatic field and the playing field. I’m very eager to hear what they have to say, and to learn more about how we can better collaborate in overcoming the challenges that remain.

Sports are sometimes portrayed as a minor, inconsequential part of a child’s academic experience and are often called “extracurricular activities.”

Having worked and in through sport for most of my life, I see sport as something more; something essential. Sports are the gateway to understanding, empathy, and social development. This is why Special Olympics always start with sport when we are seeking positive change.

Last week, I was honored to accompany the U.S. delegation and Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Sara Minkara at the first ever G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Inclusion and Disability.

This convening was organized by the Italian government and Minister Alessandra Locatelli, who is a real force of nature and represents a new wave of changemakers across Europe who intuitively understand that everyone benefits when barriers are removed for people with intellectual disabilities in employment, education and healthcare systems.

At the Summit, I called on the gathered ministers to increase funding for programs that foster social inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, not just at home but in their foreign assistance as well.

I left the summit hopeful that it was a significant step forward in the broader effort to institutionalize disability across international organizations. Although it was the first-ever G7 meeting focused solely on disability, I very much hope it will not be the last.

While the G7 summit was a watershed moment, what made an impression on me was that not one of the six panels included a person with intellectual disability. And yet all the food and drinks throughout the summit were prepared and served by people with intellectual disabilities. It was a missed opportunity not to have their voice heard on some of the panels because it is their presence, their tenacity, their advocacy that transforms attitudes, breaks down the barriers of exclusion and drives a more welcome, inclusive world for all people – not just people with intellectual disabilities.

I believe that had they been invited to engage in the discussions and speak to the delegates about their lived experiences, we would have emerged with a richer understanding of the challenges they continue to face and their own proposals for building a society that values and uplifts every individual, regardless of ability.

With that, I am delighted to introduce Kiera Byland, our esteemed moderator. Kiera has been a Special Olympics athlete for over a decade. She is a tireless advocate and ambassador for inclusion in her native Great Britain and around the world. Kiera has won 6 gold medals for cycling at Special Olympics World Games, while both competing and instructing young athletes in a number of other sporting events.

Kiera sits on the Board of Special Olympics, as part of our Global Athlete Leadership Council, where young people from each of the seven regions where we operate offer their advice and counsel to our wider Board and Leadership team.

Over to you, Kiera!