ROMANIA Hosts Successful Fun Fitness Seminar

Three experts in physical education from Great Britain, Switzerland and Turkey received hands-on Fun Fitness training, a Special Olympics health initiative focused on physiotherapy and fitness exercises for Special Olympics athletes.  The training took place during the Special Olympics Football Week event in Bucharest, Romania (April 27 – 29). 

The tree new members of the Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia Healthy Athletes Clinical Director family were trained by Special Olympics Romania, and Katharina Kiss, Fun Fitness clinical director for Special Olympics Romania provided an excellent environment for them.  

The first days of this sub-regional seminar were focused on a general introduction to Special Olympics and specific aspects of the Fun Fitness Program. Trainees learned in simulations how to host Fun Fitness screening events in their respective National Programs and had the opportunity to experience screening people with special needs.


Alain Cluenat, Sport Therapist from Switzerland, gained his first experience with Special Olympics and the Fun Fitness Program. Used to work in a fitness rehabilitation centre, he found a lot of common ground between screening and educating people with intellectual disabilities and his clients without disabilities when working on improved physical strength, flexibility and balance.

Seminar Trainer Patrick England, former lecturer in sports medicine and trainer for physiotherapists in Great Britain, was delighted with the program: “It is a very, very helpful seminar which will aid us in kickstarting Fun Fitness in Great Britain,” he said.

On the last day of the seminar, trainees could field test their knowledge at a Fun Fitness screening event during the Special Olympics Romania football tournament organized as a part of the European Football week.  

Photo: Alain Cluenat screens shoulder flexibility of Special Olympics Romania Athlete supported by Fun FitnessVolunteers (Photographer: Bjoern Koehler)