Tom: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) is a non-profit organization and the largest provider of year-round sports training and athletic competition in summer and winter sports for children and adults of ALL abilities who have intellectual disabilities, also known as learning disabilities. Special Olympics GB is so much more than just a sport organization—we genuinely transform lives. Through sport we provide opportunities for our athletes to make friends, learn social skills, feel part of a community, increase confidence and self-esteem, realize potential, develop physical fitness and mental well-being, demonstrate courage and experience joy and pride. And, above all, we provide a chance for both athletes and their families to have some FUN!
Niall: Glad to chat with you, Spiffy! Through my work, I aim to challenge society's perception of people with an intellectual disability. I started drawing images of football stadiums during the global pandemic to raise funds for Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) and found that I had engaged lots of people with my art. The idea for setting up a social enterprise came as a collaboration between myself and SOGB. This not only gave me the opportunity to work and earn money as an artist, but also to give voice to people like myself who are not seen as capable. People assume a lot about me without talking to me and getting to know who I really am. My business allows me to interact with lots of different people through social media with opportunities to challenge perceptions in a positive way.
Ishveen: Glad to be here, Spiffy—thanks for inviting me! We know that sports has the power to unite people and nations; but how many realize that sponsorship is the financial backbone of sports helping athletes, teams, and events to exist? We are using technology, data, and innovation to make the sponsorship industry more efficient and effective. In the 60-billion-dollar sponsorship industry, the non-top 5% of athletes and properties often have a tougher time finding sponsorship. We focus our attention on them.
