On 5 August 2026, Julia Govinden, CEO of United Through Sports (UTS), attended the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Athletes Congress and Partners Reception with Bank of America in Singapore.
Held alongside the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Regional Athlete Congress, the reception brought Athlete Leaders together with business representatives and long-standing partners of the movement. At the heart of the evening was a simple but important purpose: to listen directly to people with intellectual disabilities and learn from their experiences. The event marked another meaningful moment in the relationship between UTS and Special Olympics. Both organisations believe that sport can create a sense of belonging while giving people the confidence and opportunity to shape their own futures.
This relationship has already led to some memorable experiences over the years. For 2026, in Saarland, Germany, UTS was proud to take part in the Special Olympics National Games and share in the warmth of the Special Olympics community. Spending time with athletes and their families offered a powerful reminder that inclusion is not only about being present. It is about feeling welcomed, supported and celebrated for who you are.
That same warmth could be felt in Singapore. The congress gave UTS the opportunity to reconnect with the Special Olympics movement while hearing directly from Athlete Leaders from across the Asia Pacific region. Their experiences brought the wider purpose of the Congress to life and reminded everyone in the room why athlete voices must remain central to discussions about inclusion.
The event was a great opportunity to reconnect with some of the world’s leading advocates and speakers on the topic of inclusion. This event saw our CEO surprise Ben Haack Consultant with the Sport Department SOI and have an opportunity to plan the next steps within the organisation supported by Ben’s expertise. Ben has taken part in past UTS events and Festivals, each time leaving audiences stunned and reflective about the reality of life for people with intellectual disabilities and what can be done now.
Reflecting on the congress, Julia Govinden, CEO of United Through Sports, said: “The most powerful voices in that room were not the partners or the executives. They were the Athlete Leaders. Listening to them describe their lives, their barriers and their ambitions was a reminder that inclusion is not something we deliver to people; it is something we build with them. UTS is proud to stand with Special Olympics in making sure athletes are not just heard, but followed.”
The Regional Athlete Congress was the first Special Olympics gathering of its kind in the region to be led by athletes themselves. More than 100 delegates from 15 Special Olympics Programs came together in Singapore, including 50 Athlete Leaders with intellectual disabilities. Throughout the four-day Congress, participants explored the barriers affecting people with intellectual disabilities in health, education and employment. The discussions began with their lived experiences. From there, Athlete Leaders identified the changes they wanted to see and worked together to develop recommendations for the future.
What made the Congress so significant was that Athlete Leaders were not invited simply to respond to ideas developed by others. Their perspectives shaped the conversation from the beginning. They spoke about the realities within their communities and considered how inclusion could be strengthened both locally and across the wider Special Olympics movement.
This spirit was captured by Dipak Natali, President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific, in his address to the Congress. Reflecting on the discussions across health, education and employment, he thanked Athlete Leaders for sharing experiences that many were telling for the very first time, and reminded the room that change begins with understanding what people with intellectual disabilities want, what they have had to experience, and how things could be different.
He left the Congress with three messages. To the Athlete Leaders: your stories are important to everybody, so take your story and the stories of others, use them when you go home, and speak for yourselves. To Special Olympics: there is much to do from what has been shared, and the movement must first listen, then channel what it hears in the right way and represent athletes in the right way. And to everyone in the room: each of the three topics matters to us all, and all of us now carry a duty to take this message forward, to tell our Programs, and for those Programs to find out more and carry the conversation onwards.
He closed with the principle that defined the entire Congress: nothing about us, without us.
This athlete-led approach closely reflects our values. Through our work, we are committed to creating spaces where young people are not simply invited to participate, but are trusted to speak, contribute and lead.
The Partners Reception allowed those conversations to continue in a more informal setting. Athlete Leaders could speak directly with people from the business and social development sectors, while guests were encouraged to think about how their own influence could help remove barriers. Bank of America has supported the Special Olympics globally since 2003. Its continued involvement reflects the importance of partnerships that do more than provide support from a distance. Meaningful progress begins when partners take the time to listen and allow the experiences of athletes to guide their actions.
The Congress was designed to create an impact beyond the four days in Singapore. The ideas developed by Athlete Leaders will contribute to a wider regional vision for inclusion and help shape future priorities across Special Olympics Asia Pacific. We were proud to be part of an evening that celebrated Athlete Leadership and strengthened a relationship that means a great deal to UTS. Each experience has reinforced the importance of creating spaces where people with intellectual disabilities can share their stories and influence what comes next.
As our relationship with Special Olympics continues to grow, we look forward to finding new ways to work together and support more athletes and young people to take their place as leaders. With Dakar Youth Olympic Games 2026 around the corner, it is certainly an exciting time to bring the inclusive conversation to Africa.
Because if Singapore proved anything, it is that when athletes lead, the whole movement moves forward.
