Special Olympics South Africa (SOSA) officially launched the  “Adopt an Athlete” campaign in January this year to help to raise funds to get the 2023 SOSA National Team to the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin,Germany.

The “Adopt an Athlete” campaign was created by SOSA in 2016 to help raise funds for international participation for their athletes.

Fortunately, as in previous years a number of corporates and individuals have already stepped up to “Adopt an Athlete” and support the team in various ways.

These include:

Rossimoda (via Sole Agents) - providing bespoke Team branded tracksuits

African Bank – Adopted 5 Athletes

SOSA Chairperson Dr Mathews Phosa – Adopted 2 Athletes

Stabus – Adopted 2 Athletes

The Booth Group Foundation - Adopted 2 Athletes

Duma Collective – Adopted 1 Athlete

Amtronix Diagnostics – Adopted 1 Athlete

Intercape – Adopted 1 Athlete

Kool-a-Chem - Providing Novelty Items

Gift of the Givers - Providing Toiletries and other support

The Sneaker Shack - Running a sneaker donation drive for the National team and other Special Olympics Athletes

Lahers - Providing T-Shirts

With less than 5 weeks to go before the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games kick-off, SOSA is relying on additional financial support to help get the National Team to the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

       “ We have successfully implemented our “Adopt an Athlete” campaign for the last two World Games and the support form corporates and individuals has helped us to ensure that our National Teams are able to compete and represent SA with pride on a global stage. ” said SOSA CEO, Ancilla Smith. “It is an ongoing struggle to get the recognition and funding that our athletes deserve and we are incredibly grateful to the corporates and individuals that stepped up so far to support the 2023 Special Olympics National Team. Our athletes will be competing against 7000 athletes from over 180 countries and we know that they will do us proud.  With a medal tally of 35 Gold, 15 Silver and 12 Bronze from our last World Games we know that our athletes can, and will, succeed when given the opportunity”.

The Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 will be broadcasting to hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, showcasing athletic performance and highlighting stereotype-defying stories – changing minds and opening hearts through transformational inclusion.

The Special Olympics World Games are the world's largest inclusive sporting event that acts as a catalyst for inclusion building a lasting legacy of improved health, education, and opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities worldwide.

The approximate cost per athlete to compete in the World Games is R40 000. This nominal amount will cover training camps, sports/casual attire, sport equipment, toiletries and all other needs for the team. Corporates and individuals keen to assist can either make a financial contribution via link below https://www.backabuddy.co.za/The-Road-to-Berlin-2023 or contact info@specialolympics.org.za.