Toyota Motor Europe and Special Olympics Europe Eurasia extend partnership in support of inclusive communities
- Toyota Motor Europe and Special Olympics Europe Eurasia extend partnership until 2025, after working together for a more inclusive society over the past 3 years
- Rooted in Toyota’s Lets Go Beyond philosophy, the partnership exemplifies overcoming challenges through small steps that contribute to big accomplishments
Brussels, 16 April 2024 – Building on a successful three-year partnership, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) and Special Olympics Europe Eurasia agreed to extend their collaboration for another two years and continue working together to foster inclusive societies and mobility for all.
Special Olympics (SO) is a world-wide movement for the inclusion of children and adult athletes with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics works to provide athletes with opportunities for year-round sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic-type sports. Toyota first became a global partner in 2018 and further solidified its support for inclusivity through sport and mobility through an expanded regional partnership between TME - Special Olympics Europe Eurasia in 2020.
“As a passionate advocate for inclusivity and the power of sports, our continued partnership with the Special Olympics Committee is not just a business endeavor—it's a matter of heart. Having personally experienced the profound impact of the Special Olympics movement at the last World Games in Berlin, I am committed to extending our engagement to foster lasting positive change and celebrate the abilities of every individual.”
Pushing boundaries to drive positive change in society is at the heart of Toyota’s Lets Go Beyond philosophy. This involves taking small steps that add up to big leaps beyond the expected. The Special Olympics spirit of unleashing athletes’ potential and overcoming challenges strongly resonates with this philosophy, and through our common values, the partnership is an opportunity to team up to ensure mobility for all, with no one left behind.
"We are thrilled to announce the renewal of our partnership with Toyota Motor Europe, making social inclusion a reality throughout Europe Eurasia. This collaboration has been instrumental in driving our shared vision forward, creating inclusive communities where every individual, regardless of ability, can thrive. We thank TME for their continued commitment to our movement, our athletes, and their message of unity and solidarity.”
Over the last three years, going beyond the framework of the collaboration, TME employees and SO athletes have enjoyed a number of moments together. They became teammates for a day of training prior to the 2023 SO World Games and in the Giro d’Italia competition last year, in addition to Toyota employees volunteering at national SO games to support and be alongside the athletes.
“With the support of partners like Toyota, Special Olympics programs can further develop their activities. This includes helping raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with intellectual disabilities and advocate for their inclusion in all aspects of daily life. Toyota stands out as an exemplary partner, providing both financial and logistical support to Special Olympics. Moreover, Toyota actively promotes inclusion within its own company and beyond.”
The extended partnership will create new opportunities for employees of TME and other Toyota entities across Europe to support SO athletes as they break barriers and exceed limits through sports.
Examples of Toyota employees’ engagement with Special Olympics athletes in 2023
Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR (Gazoo Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs over 25,000 people and has invested over EUR 11 billion in Europe since 1990. Its eight European manufacturing plants are located in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey. Today, there are approximately 16.5 million Toyota, GR and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,800 retail sales outlets in 53 countries (EU, UK, EFTA countries + Russia, Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries). In 2022, TME sold 1,080,975 vehicles in Europe for a 6.4% market share. For more information, visit Facts & Figures (toyota.eu) and www.toyota-europe.com.
Toyota believes that when people are free to move, anything is possible. In the pursuit of "Mobility for All", Toyota aims to create safer, more connected, inclusive and sustainable mobility to achieve its mission of producing “Happiness for All”. In Europe, TME launched the KINTO mobility brand which offers a range of mobility services in 19 countries, and is growing its business-to-business sales of zero-emission fuel cell products and engineering support. Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Toyota is working to achieve carbon neutrality in its entire business across Europe. A historic leader in CO2 reduction in Europe, TME aims to achieve 100% CO2 reduction in all new vehicles in Western Europe by 2035 and will continue to offer a full range of electrified powertrains to customers across the region with its hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles.