In the heart of Europe: The Special Olympics National Games 2026 in Saarland will be organized across borders. Some athletes from the Bunte Sportgemeinschaft (BSG) Neckarsulm have never been to France. “That’s why we went shopping in Forbach yesterday,” said BSG swimming coach Angela Pim, “so they could see what it’s like in another country.” The swimming competitions of the Special Olympics National Games 2026 in Saarland will take place at the swimming pool in the French town of Forbach, the “Piscine Olympique Communautaire Jean-Éric Bousch,” located just over ten kilometers from Saarbrücken. This year’s hosts of the Special Olympics National Games are the first to hold a competition in one of the 27 sports abroad. “We’ve never done that before,” said Christiane Krajewski, President of Special Olympics Germany, who especially enjoys these games in her Saarland homeland. “The special thing is the location and the region. We are here in the heart of Europe.” What is new for Special Olympics is therefore quite normal for Saarlanders and the French living near the border in Lorraine. They cooperate across borders in many areas and fields. And of course, the French are also among the twelve delegations participating alongside teams from the German federal states. “For us, it was no question to make the swimming pool available for Special Olympics,” said Jean-Claude Hehn, President of the Forbach Porte de France municipal association. “But above all, it’s a great example of cross-border cooperation. It reflects our friendship and solidarity for an important cause: inclusion in sports.” That is why the swimmers at the games will now enjoy competing in the state-of-the-art “Piscine Olympique,” where the French national team trained for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. For Isabel Hohneck, who speaks fluent French and volunteers at the games in Forbach, it is perfectly normal to think and act across borders. In her main profession, she is an interpreter and translator; she also works as a coach in German shooting sports and knows that the border is practically nonexistent in shooting. In her second-division team from Püttlingen, five French athletes compete, and the same applies in reverse for French teams. Even at French championships, German shooters are allowed to participate. Hohneck, who grew up near the Saarland border and returned to her homeland after 13 years abroad, also reports close economic cooperation and a general awareness that the border practically does not exist in Forbach and its surroundings. French is generally the first foreign language in schools, and many kindergartens already lay the foundations. Among the older Saarlanders on one side and Lorrainers on the other, the languages have blended into an almost common dialect, which, however, is gradually disappearing. Naturally, shopping continues on both sides to enjoy the best each country has to offer. This is exactly what the athletes of BSG Neckarsulm have done. With their unique concept, the hosts of the Special Olympics National Games 2026 perfectly utilize their geographical proximity to France, their political contacts, and everyday realities. Thus, they set a sign of encounter, cooperation, and inclusion not only throughout the entire state but also across national borders. Text: Ulrike Spitz
FORWARDING: In the Heart of Europe: The 2026 National Games in Saarland Will Be
