The Olympic flame, the "Flame of Hope", will be carried through the city centre of the district town of Homburg on Saturday, 13 June, starting at 11 am. District Administrator Frank John is delighted that the torch relay organised by the Saarpfalz district is taking place in the run-up to the Special Olympics National Games Saarland 2026 as part of the City Festival of Inclusion. The latter is part of the "Host Town Programme", as Homburg is the venue for the judo competitions at the Saarland National Games, the multi-sport event of the year in Germany, from 15 to 20 June.
District Administrator Frank John: "On this day, we will be presented with great images in the city centre, when everything is colourfully animated and the Special Olympics torch - in our case a miner's lamp, symbolic of the Saarland mining tradition - connects people, communities and organisations on its way. All participants will become ambassadors for community and inclusion. We can look forward with excitement to a major celebration that will also be characterised by the upcoming sporting event. I invite all citizens to support the torch relay and the city festival with their visit."
The torch relay starts at 11 a.m. at the historic market square. It leads through Saarbrücker Straße via Gerberstraße and Talstraße to Christian-Weber-Platz. The District Administrator will not miss the opportunity to lace up his running shoes himself to be part of the running community. Homburg's mayor Manfred Rippel will be on hand at the start and finish of the run and Minister of the Interior Reinhold Jost has also announced his attendance.
The torch will be carried in Homburg in an inclusive tandem by Finja Bastian and Michael Koch.
Finja Bastian lives with her parents and her sister, who is three years younger, in Sankt Ingbert. The outgoing 16-year-old attends the Webersberg special school in Homburg and is very sporty. She enjoys climbing, swimming and athletics. No wonder she is also competing in several disciplines at the 2026 Special Olympics National Games: 100-metre run, ball throw and 50-metre relay.
At her side is another sporting ace: Michael Koch, also known as "Kochmichel", is a Homburg veteran. After his career as a footballer at FC Homburg, the now 73-year-old discovered his passion for running. But skiing, hiking and climbing are also still among his favourite hobbies today. He has also been able to live out his passion for sport professionally - as co-partner of the former Klees sports shop in Homburg and still today as head of sports sponsorship at Dr. Theiss Naturwaren.
The torchbearer tandem will be accompanied by smaller or larger groups of runners from CJD Homburg/Saar gGmbH, Lebenshilfe Saarpfalz and other clubs and organisations such as the Homburg youth fire brigade, all of which are based in Homburg and the Saarpfalz district. The mayor of Bexbach, Christian Prech, and the councillor of the town of Sankt Ingbert, Olaf Blaumeiser, have also confirmed their attendance from neighbouring municipalities. And let's not forget that Homburg's skaters will also take to the wheels and form the vanguard, so to speak. Once the runners have crossed the finish line, the torch will be handed over and the City Festival of Inclusion will be officially opened on the stage on Christian-Weber-Platz. Then nothing stands in the way of celebrating together amidst numerous information stands, hands-on activities and culinary offerings.
Background
With a big torch relay day on Saturday, 13 June, organised by the Saarpfalz district and Saarpfalz-Touristik, the focus is on the biggest inclusive multi-sport event of the year in Germany with around 4,300 athletes with intellectual disabilities. They will be competing in 27 different sports.
In addition to Homburg, two further stages of the torch relay will take place in Medelsheim in the morning and in Blickweiler in the late afternoon. There they are embedded in the international stage of the LVM Saarland Trofeo. The traditional Trofeo is once again part of the UCI Junior Nations Cup from 11 to 14 June, making it the world's most important race series in junior cycling.