The 20th Special Olympic Movement of the Young Leaders Forum has been started in Baku

The opening ceremony of the 20th Special Olympic Movement of the Young Leaders Forum attended by more than 220 guests representing 45 countries was carried out in Baku on September 24, 2018.
Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov, the Chairman of the International Special Olympics Movement Timothy Shriver and other officials attended the ceremony.
Firstly, a video dedicated to the Special Olympics Movement was demonstrated.
Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov said that Azerbaijan is proud to be recognized as a sport country and with its youth in the world.
The Chairman of the International Special Olympic Movement, T. Shriver said that the young leaders participating in the Forum represent 200 million people with the intellectual disabilities living in the world and new generation of the leaders who are eager to achieve inclusive goals in general.
During the Forum, the young leaders from around the world will also prepare group projects to form more inclusive societies in their countries with the participation of 100 older leaders. Young leaders will draft their projects in their countries after the Baku Forum ends. These projects will be supported by the International Special Olympics Fund grants. The five-day Forum is supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the Lions Clubs International, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and other organizations.
One of the main goals of the Special Olympics Movement over the next 50 years is to promote the involvement of the young people through the school programs “Universal Schools” and to develop a single generation program that brings the young people with and without mental disabilities through the inclusive sports and leadership.
During the Forum, the young leaders will develop and expand their understanding of how to achieve social inclusion in their own countries, cities, schools and communities. They will study new strategies and activities from the internationally renowned experts in leadership and social change, which will help promote a more inclusive world by using the Special Olympic Movement United Sports Platform.