ABB’s industrial presence in Germany is long established, as is our enduring partnership with the Special Olympics, which began more than 20 years ago.
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20+ years partnership with Special Olympics |
~ 3,600 volunteers
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900 athletes, 10 different sports at the 2024 Winter games |
ABB Germany and Special Olympics – a history of collaboration
Since 2000, ABB has partnered with Special Olympics Germany, combining classic sponsorship with corporate volunteering to create a meaningful and impactful program.
Special Olympics Germany (SOD) is the German organization of the world’s largest grassroots sports movement for people with intellectual and multiple disabilities. Launched in 1968, it aims to give athletes more recognition and self-confidence through sport.
ABB has been supporting the Special Olympics movement for 24 years, during which time it has made a significant contribution to achieving our goals and the success of many National Games. Corporate volunteering is an important pillar of the partnership and many ABB employees have become familiar faces at SOD events through their long-standing support. We are pleased and proud to continue to have ABB at our side and to be able to work together for a more inclusive society in the years to come.
Christiane Krajewski, President of Special Olympics Germany
Sustainability and social progress go hand in hand
Social progress is one pillar of ABB’s Sustainability Agenda, with community engagement central to lifting-up communities, workers and societies. Our partnership with Special Olympics goes beyond purely financial sponsorship, as ABB employees are actively involved in the Special Olympics Germany Games at both state and national level. More than 3,600 employees have already volunteered to organize the many sporting events.
At Special Olympics, inclusion is made easy, the employees appreciate this partnership, they actively ask for it and we have more and more registrations as places for helpers. Inclusion and versatility are values that are firmly anchored in ABB's culture. We support these values practically: ABB covers organization and travel costs for helpers, while employees take vacation or compensatory time in return.
Alexander Zumkeller, ABB Labor Director
In addition to the personal commitment of the volunteers, ABB supported the World Games with its own technology. Our charging infrastructure supplied the Special Olympics e-cars with the necessary electricity. We also had the great honour of being able to contribute to the opening ceremony with our robots.
ABB’s partnership with Special Olympics was renewed in June 2023 for three more years, confirming the foundational role of diversity and inclusion in a broadly based and collaborative sustainability strategy.
Watch the video below to enjoy highlights of ABB's participation in the 2023 Special Olympics World Games, held in Berlin:
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