President of Lions Clubs International visited Sweden

On Thursday, November 27, Special Olympics Sweden received a distinguished visit from Lions International President A.P. Singh, together with Sangeeta Jatia. Representing Lions Sweden were Bruno Ahlqvist, Inger Ahlqvist, Mats-Åke Tunelid, and Elisabeth Tunelid.

The guests were welcomed by Secretary General Bo Sköld, Head of Special Olympics Sweden Linnéa Björndahl, and Marketing Manager Joanna Hanner, who, in keeping with the season, treated them to saffron buns and Swedish santa candies.

– Lions’ strong commitment to people with intellectual disabilities means a great deal to us at Special Olympics Sweden. Being able to welcome the international president was a great honor, says Linnéa Björndahl, Head of Special Olympics Sweden.

President A.P. Singh expressed pride in the collaboration between the organizations and noted that Lions is looking forward to this year’s Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2026 in Malmö.

A long-standing partnership with Lions Clubs International

Lions Clubs International operates worldwide, and its members assist with everything from crisis response to various types of events.

They have a strong commitment to people with disabilities and have long been a partner of Special Olympics Sweden. Lions clubs across Sweden have, among other things, provided financial support to individual athletes, making it possible for more people with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports competitions.

Valuable volunteers – from north to south

Volunteers from local Lions clubs have helped throughout the year at both family days in Norrbotten and competitions in Skåne. In Skåne in particular, the Special Olympics Pre Games in Malmö took place in mid-September.

The Lions volunteers in Malmö assisted with everything from moving tables, holding doors open, and serving food, to accompanying participants to activities and supporting communication.

– This is a very nice opportunity for us to show that we are here, said Bengt Svensson, one of the volunteers on site. He represented Lions Club Bräkne-Hoby and staffed the Lions information table on Saturday.

Together with his colleagues, he spoke about Lions’ voluntary work and why they are present at events like these.

– We think it’s great that we’ve taken this initiative together with the Swedish Parasport Federation and Special Olympics Sweden. We really want to help people in different ways – that’s what we do. It’s very exciting, this is all completely new to me. It’s also an opportunity to learn and to meet the athletes here. I’ve had a few eye-opening moments, said Bengt Svensson.

Maintaining strong relationships with Lions clubs in Sweden is of great importance to Special Olympics’ work.

– As with all our sports events, volunteers are absolutely crucial for them to take place at all, so the support we receive from Lions is invaluable, says Susanne Pettersson, Project Manager for Special Olympics Sweden’s family program.