The Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Inalpi Arena on Saturday night.
It is the first event of its type, taking place after the 2017 Austria, with the 2022 Games originally slated to take place in Russia, canceled due to Covid-19 and the invasion of Ukraine.
Stefan Nakoneczny, is one of the eight Great Britain alpine skiers, selected for the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025. It is his undying passion that has guided him to the highest level.
“For us as a family, it was pretty devastating because he’d been working towards this for 10, 15 years,” his father, Jeremy, says of the cancelled 2022 Games, to the Guardian.
“Stef never leaves our side. He never wanders. He’s always within five feet of us, wherever we go, whatever we do,” Jeremy says. “We were chatting away when all of a sudden we heard this squealing. We looked around and we couldn’t see Stef. We realised he’d taken the ski chair to the top and was hurtling downhill and straight for us.
“The instructor was pushing everybody, saying: ‘Get out of the way. He’s going to hurt himself.’ But Stef came to the bottom, twisted his hips, sprayed everybody with snow, and went: ‘Well, that was good, wasn’t it?’ First time ever on snow. I still don’t know where he got it from.”
The 34-year-old Nakoneczny is non-verbal. He has been nurturing his passion for skiing ever since that family trip with Special Olympics Great Britain providing him with the perfect avenue.
The organization empowers more that 6,600 athletes in 27 sports, supported by a dedicated team of 3,800 volunteers.
Bob Thow, the head coach, has trained the Great Britain athletes for the Games. “I was in the army cadets as one of the training officers. I dealt with training there, even designing competitions. I’ve also coached football. Some of my players still play in the top leagues in Scotland and England,” Thow says of his experience.
“I’ve always maintained the same philosophy. We’re all in it together. If somebody’s got a problem, we’ve all got that problem. With learning disabilities sometimes they’re the people that get shoved aside. In my team they don’t get shoved aside. It’s my team. It’s Bob’s team and I am strong in that.”
Special Olympics Great Britain Delegates For World Winter Games 2025
Alpine Skiing
| Name | Club | Level |
| Emma Ronald | Special Olympics Grampian | Novice |
| Emily Plant | Special Olympics Grampian | Intermediate |
| Matthew Evans | Rossendale Special Ski Club | Intermediate |
| Anthony Hibbard | Special Olympics West Mids Ski Group | Intermediate |
| Ayesha Franks | Special Olympics South East Ski Group | Advanced |
| Annabelle Lamb | Special Olympics Eastern | Advanced |
| Cameron de Vial | Rossendale Special Ski Club | Advanced |
| Stefan Nakoneczny | Special Olympics Surrey | Advanced |
Figure Skating
| Stephanie Gott | Special Olympics North West |
| Oliver Snook | Special Olympics Southern |