Closing Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Winter Games, Graz/Austria

We were engaged to design, plan and realise the lighting and audio for the closing ceremony of the eleventh "Special Olympics World Winter Games" at the Merkur Arena in Graz. Following twelve exciting days of competition, the 2,600 athletes from 105 nations - people with intellectual disabilities - were cheered wildly by 15,000 spectators. A colourful show featuring, among others, "America's Got Talent" winner Grace VanderWaal, singer Rose May Alaba and Helene Fischer, who once again sang "Fighter", the official anthem of the Special Olympics, made the closing ceremony an unforgettable experience for athletes and spectators alike. Andreas Gabalier, provided the climax to the event with an unplugged version of "Steirerland". Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian Honorary President of the Special Olympics, was proud of the successful games in his home region. The organisers see the World Winter Games as "an impulse for a culture of encounter that advances social inclusion and is characterized by togetherness rather than division."