The project was initiated by the Börde/Helmstedt inclusion in sport working group, which includes the district of Börde, the district of Helmstedt, the town of Haldensleben, the Börde district sports association, Lebenshilfe Ostfalen and Lebenshilfe Helmstedt-Wolfenbüttel.
"As a district, it is important to us to create spaces for encounters," emphasises Dr Marcus Waselewski, Börde district councillor. "This tournament is a great example of how much joy real participation can bring when people meet, laugh together and live inclusion."
A total of five mixed teams, each with six players (plus substitutes), took part in the tournament, each made up of employees and clients from the participating institutions. The teams were drawn by lot before the start of the tournament in order to break down existing boundaries and barriers. The focus was not on sporting competition, but on shared experiences, dialogue and, above all, fun.
After ten exciting and fair games of six minutes each, the winners were announced at a small award ceremony. District Administrator Gerhard Radeck (district of Helmstedt) was responsible for honouring the winning teams. The event was hosted by the Börde District Sports Association, while Lebenshilfe Ostfalen was highly committed to catering for all participants and guests with drinks and homemade cakes. The tournament was financed by residual funds from the Host Town Project, a project as part of the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, in which the district of Börde participated as the host municipality.