site.btaEmpress Theophano Prize Awarded to Special Olympics and Chairman Timothy Shriver

The 5th Empress Theophano Prize was presented to Special Olympics and its Chairman, Dr. Timothy Shriver, said Theophano Foundation. The award ceremony will be held on October 23, 2024 in Thessaloniki.

The prize aims "to highlight those persons or organizations in Europe and beyond who embody European and universal values", the organization says. This year's edition focused on the social role of sports, through the vision of Special Olympics to create a world where everyone is accepted, celebrated and welcomed, regardless of abilities. 

Previous editions of the award have focused on education, science, the arts and humanitarianism.

The award ceremony will be attended by prominent figures from Europe and beyond, with the participation of Special Olympics athletes. 

Dr. Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, is quoted as saying of the Empress Theophano Prize: “On behalf of the four million Special Olympics athletes we serve every day around the world, it is truly one of my greatest honours to accept the Empress Theophano Prize. Disability rights are human rights. Everyone has a right to participate in society. Everyone has gifts to celebrate.”

This is the fifth edition of the award. Previous winners included the EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme, the inventors of the life-saving COVID vaccine, Dr Uğur Şahin and Dr Özlem Türeci, the globally respected pianist and maestro Daniel Barenboim for his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and the United Nations, represented by António Gutteres, UN Secretary-General, for its contribution to world peace and international cooperation. 

On October 24, the Theophano Foundation will be holding a Round Table Discussion titled Inclusive Sports: Driving Human and Social Development for a Changing Europe on Thursday. It will be taking place at Thessaloniki Concert Hall and will be open to the public. Among the participants are people from Special Olympics, including its Chairman, Special Olympics International CEO Mary Davis,  international athletes and advocates for the community of persons with intellectual disabilities. Participation of Special Olympics athletes and their families will highlight the core message of transformation through sport and the ways inclusion has strengthened families, communities, and nations alike, the organizers said.