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April 26, 2024
In just under 50 days UEFA EURO 2024 kicks off in Munich with matches to be held in ten host cities across Germany. 16,000 volunteers from 124 nations will help ensure its success, and host city Cologne has put an inclusive program in place to ensure the experience is open to all.
Diversity and inclusion is one of four action areas under the social pillar of UEFA’s EURO 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance strategy to ensure that the tournament is welcoming to everyone. This includes providing access and integration to people with disabilities, which Cologne is focusing on with the “Volunteer Tandem” program.
The city recruited 50 people with intellectual disabilities to become EURO 2024 volunteers, each assigned a Tandem partner to work with throughout the tournament and assist with any challenges that may arise. The program began on April 9 when the volunteers and their Tandems met for the first time to get to know each other ahead of tomorrow’s Volunteer Kick-Off event.
The program was inspired by the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, the largest inclusive sporting event in the world. During the Games, the “Host Town Program” became the largest communal inclusion project in Germany’s history motivating EURO 2024 organizers to follow its example.
As the third-largest sporting event in the world, the UEFA European Championship has a goal of becoming a reference point for sustainability in the world of sports and a driving force for sustainable development in Germany and beyond.
A working group was set up in November 2022 to further develop the idea and included several organizations with experience and knowledge on the topic of inclusion: Gemeinnützigen Werkstätten Köln GmbH, DJK Sportverband Köln, Gold Krämer Stiftung and Lebenshilfe Köln. Each has since become a program delivery partner.
During the recruitment phase, the Volunteer Management Team visited several sheltered workshops to help with applications, which is often the first major barrier for people with disabilities.
“We are very proud about our inclusive Volunteer team in Cologne as it is our goal to be open to everyone,” stated the Cologne Volunteer Management Team. “It is great to see the enthusiasm with which our Volunteers participate in our Tandem program, and we are very impressed by their openness and commitment. Now, after all tandems have met, we look forward to accompanying them during the tournament in action.”
UEFA EURO 2024 is working to bring people of different ages, backgrounds and abilities together through a common passion of football. As part of this is a provision of equal access and opportunities for the tournament’s workforce and volunteers, and the Tandem program is an example of this in action.
Source: UEFA
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