The Theophano Foundation, of which the Gerovassiliou Estate is a founding member, awarded the Special Olympics, in the name of its President Dr. Timothy Shriver, on Wednesday 23 October 2024, at the iconic Rotonda monument, a symbol of multiculturalism, with the presence of leading personalities from within and outside Europe, and with the active participation of the Special Olympics athletes themselves.

Dr. Timothy Shriver, President of Special Olympics, said of the award: “It is an extraordinary honor to receive, on behalf of the four million Special Olympics athletes we represent every day around the world, the Empress Theophano Award. The rights of people with disabilities are human rights. Everyone has the right to participate in society. Everyone has a gift to celebrate it.”

This year’s award is the fifth prize of the Theophano Foundation. In previous years the prize was awarded to the EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme, to the scientists who developed the first vaccine against Covid-19, Dr. Uğur Şahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci, for the creation of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra to world-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim, and to the United Nations in the name of Secretary-General António Gutteres for his contribution to world peace and international cooperation.

MORE INFORMATION: www.theophano.eu