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In addition to its core business, LTE is also happy to devote itself to the other winners in their professions: you have probably read about us sponsoring beach volleyball teams, but we have a - let's say: "special" commitment to the Special Olympics, which we are supporting for years.
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"We are very proud that the LTE-group joined the ranks of our patrons," says Jörg Hofmann, National Director of Special Olympics Austria, which since the 1990s has been supporting up to 2,500 athletes in 31 sports at local and international competitions.
Exactly 60 years ago, in 1962, Eunice Kennedy-Shriver, the sister of former US President John F. Kennedy, started summer camps for people with mental disabilities. She had recognized that physical activity can give those people a better quality of life thus creating more opportunities. A few years later, the first Special Olympics were organized with almost 1,000 participants by the USA and Canada. Today, Special Olympics represent a global network with 4,2 million athletes in 170 countries.
“In Austria we had around 2,500 athletes. Now, due to the pandemic, the number has shrunk a bit, but we are working at full steam to catch up with the years before at all levels,” Hofmann draws an optimistic interim balance, because he has every reason to be: “The temptation for soft drinks and snacks has to be met with motivation to take up sport again," he reports, "our protégés need this attention just like all of us when it comes to chasing yourself off the sofa in the fight against calories and pounds." This now only includes trained coaches, mainly currently organized by the Sportunion Burgenland and Vorarlberg, who take over the training. But a lot is also expected with regard to the events in the coming months: "After we had to cancel a large number of sporting events last year, we are looking forward to the national summer games from June 23rd to 28th in Burgenland, in the area around Oberwart and Pinkafeld.” There athletes will compete in 15 sports, some with international participation.
"Of course, these events, which are recognized nationwide, also bring us considerable media and public attention," says Hofman happily and remembers, among other things, the Dance World Championships of the Special Olympics in Graz 2021, about which the ORF had reported extensively; or the curling championships in Peuerbach, that Austrian Federal President Alexander van der Bellen also paid a visit to.
At this point the circle begins to close, because in order to deliver successful performances, you not only need idealism and personal commitment, but also quite simple: money. “In addition to the numerous private donations and allowances, we are traditionally happy about Coca Cola. They have been part of the Kennedy-Shriver idea since the early days. We are also pleased about Uniqa Versicherung, which has joined the family in Austria as the main sponsor,” Hofmann comments on this topic. "But special thanks go to the LTE-group, who is helping our organization discreetly but no less efficiently: Their donation covers around 330 training sessions, so it's a real powerhouse."
All that remains for the LTE team is to wish the athletes a successful and sporty year 2022 as it's about to start!
pictures: Special Olympics Austria
