Good day,
Attached you will find a press release from the city of St. Ingbert with a request for publication.
Special Olympics: St. Ingbert welcomes students from Lüneburg
The city of St. Ingbert is pleased to welcome special guests as part of the Special Olympics National Games Saarland 2026: students from the Schule am Knieberg in Lüneburg have traveled to Saarland for the competition week and are staying overnight in the gymnasium of the Eisenberg School in St. Ingbert-Hassel.
Mayor Nadine Backes personally welcomed the young athletes and their teachers. The 12- to 18-year-old students are participating in the athletics competitions at the stadium on Kieselhumes in Saarbrücken, including 50- and 100-meter races, relay races, shot put, and long jump.
“It is wonderful that we as the city of St. Ingbert can make a small contribution to ensuring that the students from Lüneburg have a good and warm-hearted time in the Saarland,” says Mayor Nadine Backes. “The Special Olympics stand for encounters, participation, sporting joy, and mutual respect. These are exactly the values we want to make visible here in St. Ingbert as well. I wish all participants successful competitions, many beautiful impressions, and above all an unforgettable week.”
Backes, who is also the principal of the Eisenbergschule, advocated for the accommodation of the group in Hassel. The guests from Lüneburg are also part of the school community this week: the children of the Eisenbergschule happily vacated their school gymnasium, they eat together in the cafeteria, and they created a welcome poster as a greeting.
As small Saarland welcome gifts, Nadine Backes presented a bottle of Maggi, postcards with typical Saarland terms and their translations into standard German, as well as drinking bottles with the "I Love IGB" motif.
The Special Olympics bring together athletes from all over Germany. Alongside athletic achievements, community, fairness, and inclusion are at the forefront. St. Ingbert is pleased to be part of this special event and warmly welcomes the guests from Lüneburg.
Caption: Nadine Backes (2nd from right) welcomes the student group from Lüneburg
Photo: Thomas Bastuck
Best regards
Andrea Segura
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City of St. Ingbert
Staff Unit Communication and Associations
Am Markt 12 | 66386 St. Ingbert | Tel. +49 6894 13-247
