Athens, 6 October 2023

262 Days before the Games

THE GREEK PRIME MINISTER GIVES HIS SUPPORT TO THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD SUMMER GAMES ATHENS 2011

Greek Parliament, Prime Minister’s Office, October 6, 2010: At 13:30 Mr George Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece, received in his office the visit of the President of the Organizing Committee for the Special Olympics ATHENS 2011, Ms Joanna Despotopoulou, who at this private meeting informed him on the ongoing preparations and thanked him for the vote of confidence he gave her in 1990 when, as founding member and Board member of the Special Olympics Hellas, he and the other founding members entrusted to her the direction of the Organisation. She had then committed herself to successfully spread throughout the Greek Republic the values and beliefs of the largest international movement for people with intellectual disability.

The Prime Minister congratulated Ms Despotopoulou for her twenty-year long selfless efforts to achieve, via sports, the social integration of persons with intellectual disability. He also confirmed his support for, and firm belief in, the overall success of the World Games Organisation. The meeting continued in the presence of SO athletes Kostas Tzoumerkas and Flora Vermisoglou who, together with the ATHENS 2011 President, offered the Torch of the Games to the Prime Minister and delivered to him an official invitation to the Games.

To show his unconditional support of the organisation and to comply with the Athletes’ wishes, the Prime Minister signed the official volunteer application form and asked to be informed in a future meeting of the specific duties of a volunteer during the Games.

The Torch designers, Ms Marianna and Mr Giorgos Papalexis, and other ATHENS 2011 officials accompanied Ms Despotopoulou in her visit.

The President, after thanking the Prime Minister for the great honour he showed her by receiving her in his office with the athletes, declared: “Your support is invaluable and sets an example to all Greek citizens. As founding member of the Special Olympics Hellas you are well aware of how this movement has developed, as well as of the challenge to make all Greeks aware in 2011 of the need for the creation of an inclusive, and not an exclusive, society.”