Special Olympics Nederland awarded the games, the biggest sporting event in the Netherlands for athletes with an intellectual disability, to Drenthe. Its chairman, Erik de Winter, announced the choice at a meeting with aldermen from Drenthe.
The province and all the municipalities in Drenthe are helping to organise the event, with each municipality taking on a number of sports. Sports clubs, volunteers, community organisations and businesses also worked on the bid. The games themselves will be organised by a foundation chaired by Jetta Klijnsma, a former King's Commissioner, or governor, of Drenthe.
“With this event, athletes really get the room to shine. That way, inclusive sport gets more attention and even more people, including people with a disability, can get moving!” says Klijnsma.
At Rolder Boys, people with a physical or intellectual disability have been playing football for ten years, in what is known as G-football. The G-football cup finals of the KNVB, the Dutch football association, have also been played at the club twice, when, according to the Rolderpost, Rolde's village paper, more than 250 athletes came to Rolde with their carers.