Helvetia Insurance has acted as a premium partner of Swiss-Ski since 2005. The experiences acquired as part of this commitment will now be incorporated into the collaboration with Special Olympics Switzerland. The four-time Olympic winner Simon Ammann, a long-term sponsorship partner of Helvetia, was appointed as President of the Board of Trustees of Special Olympics Switzerland in summer 2022.
Living inclusion and diversity togetherFor Martin Jara, CEO Helvetia Switzerland, the commitment is an expression of Helvetia's responsibility to society: "As a company we are not only co-responsible for ensuring that Switzerland is a healthy business location but also for guaranteeing successful social interaction. Our collaboration with Special Olympics shows that we are committed to putting values such as inclusion and diversity into practice as a matter of course."
For Bruno Barth, National Director of Special Olympics Switzerland, the cooperation with
Helvetia is another step along the way to a society that is as barrier-free as possible: "We are convinced that this cooperation will also help us to sensitize snow sport organizers in Switzerland to the inclusion of people with disabilities and to assist them in implementing suitable measures."
A wide range of measures to include people with mental disabilitiesSpecial Olympics Switzerland regularly holds competitions throughout Switzerland for athletes with mental disabilities. Moreover, with its "Unified" programme, the Foundation supports sport associations and clubs in setting up movement and sports offerings adapted to people with disabilities. It empowers organizers of public sport events to make these accessible to people with disabilities and provides training courses to enable coaches to encourage people with disabilities and to offer them the best support.
Overview of Special Olympics Switzerland events Image 1 for download: Snowshoeing, one of the snow sports offered by Special Olympics Switzerland, which is now supported by Helvetia Insurance. Photo: Special Olympics Switzerland.
Image 2 for download: Special Olympic Switzerland also offers athletes a comprehensive range of competitions in alpine ski racing, which is now supported by Helvetia Insurance. Picture: Special Olympics Switzerland.