With a torch relay day on Saturday, 13 June, the Saarpfalz district is sending out a visible signal for inclusion, community and sporting respect in the run-up to the Special Olympics National Games Saarland 2026.
Two stages of the torch relay 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. The fact that the Special Olympics National Games are visibly integrated into the event symbolises active participation and the idea that sport unites people - regardless of their level of performance or personal limitations.
"This puts our pretty town of Medelsheim in the Parr at the centre of an extraordinary sporting community",
The mayor of Gersheim, Michael Clivot, and president of the Saarland Trofeo support association, , who will be accompanying the run and will be involved in the torch handover, is delighted - as is Medelsheim's mayor Janine Bieder.
The "Flame of Hope" is carried as a miner's lamp in the inclusive tandem of Helena Hoffmann and Tristan Vinzent.
Helena Hoffmann has lived at Neues Haus Sonne, a facility for people with assistance needs in Walsheim, since the age of 16. She works in the wood workshop, which gives her great pleasure, where she impresses with her manual skills every day. Despite her mental and physical disabilities, Helena is a very cheerful person. In her free time, the 36-year-old enjoys listening to music, dancing, knitting and letting her imagination run wild when painting.
Tristan Vinzent, 62, is an ultra triathlete. Since 2010, the athlete, who lives in Ormesheim (Mandelbachtal), has completed 127 long distances in the IUTA Wordcup series and is currently in 10th place (men). But he is also a passionate musician. As an instrumental teacher at the municipal music school in St. Ingbert, he teaches all brass instruments, early music education, recorder, classical percussion and drum set. He has also led the Bliesmengen-Bolchen music association since February 2025.
Both carried the "Flame of Hope" through Medelsheim, accompanied by residents and carers from the Neue Haus Sonne. The mayor of Mandelbachtal, Maria Vermeulen, and former German cyclist Andreas Walzer, race director of the LVM Saarland Trofeo, did not hesitate to promise their participation in the torch relay.
"Unfortunately, I can't be there in Medelsheim, but I am convinced that it will be a very special sporting event with great symbolic power that the participants will remember for a long time. I would be delighted if as many people as possible supported the event with their attendance,
emphasises District Administrator Frank John.
This morning's Trofeo individual time trial starts at 9am. The race will be interrupted for the torch runners, who will set off towards the Trofeo finish arch shortly after 10am. They will be cheered on by a cheerleading group from the Red Falcons in Zweibrücken. Everyone will then gather for a joint photo on the square in front of Medelsheim primary school, where the Trofeo stage will be set up for the later award ceremony (around 11.30 am). There will, of course, also be an opportunity to enjoy drinks, sausages and pretzels, which will be provided by the Medelsheim primary school support association and the Medelsheim shooting club. In addition, Gasthaus Weber will be catering for the helpers at the LVM Saarland Trofeo. And the winner of the individual time trial will be eagerly awaited at the joint celebration.
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. Along the way, the Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" connects people, communities and organisations and conveys community, inclusion and anticipation of the upcoming sporting event.