PluSport Day combines sport, fun and inclusion

PluSporttag is much more than a sporting event. It’s an experience that stays in your heart. Axpo has been a proud partner and sponsor of this special day in Switzerland for the past 16 years, forging a long-lasting connection based on shared goals and values.

Under bright blue skies and bathed in sunshine, this year's PluSport Day took place on Sunday 9^th July 2023 at the impressive Stadion End-der-Welt (Stadium at the End of the World) in Magglingen, a centre of Swiss sporting excellence high in the Bernese Jura mountains. The largest sports event for the disabled in the country, the event provided an impressive demonstration of how sport can connect people and overcome barriers.

Around 1,700 participants and spectators gathered in this idyllic setting for a day of inclusion and understanding, their happy faces bearing testament to the joys of sporting endeavour and an abundance of fun, friendship and enthusiasm.

An event that brings together people

A unique event that brings together people with different abilities and backgrounds, PluSport Day provides a unique platform where all participants can develop their sporting talents and exchange ideas in an inclusive environment. What counts are the individual strengths of each participant.

Speaking at the event, Axpo Chief Operating Officer Henriette Wendt said: "We have learned a lot in our 16 years with PluSport, and are thrilled at the commitment with which the PluSport association carries out its important task. I think we are much further along today in the common ground between people with and without disabilities than we were 15 years ago. PluSport has played a significant part in this. Not only here on PluSport Day but also in many other projects in top-class and popular sports. That is why I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in PluSport today and throughout the year."

There were many memorable moments during the day, such as Sarah Longhi leaving her wheelchair to scale the climbing wall, Christoph Zundel and Martin Villiger discarding their prostheses to climb with just one leg, and the wife of visually impaired athlete Roland Paillex guiding him to the finish line.

Swiss Federal Councillor: "A Day that creates a sense of community"

Swiss Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, who heads the department responsible for sport, spoke for many when she said: "PluSport Day creates a sense of community that we can only wish for in other areas of our daily lives."

As sponsor, Axpo provided a large marquee in which spectators could rest, refresh and watch the day’s activities from the comfort of deckchairs. At the wheel of fortune, everyone could try their luck and win an Axpo gift. And the frisbee golf stand was particularly popular where, with a little skill and patience, participants could win a medal.

Mirela Stosic, co-organiser of the event for Axpo and in charge on-site, recalls: "The following encounter will long remain in my memory: Milena, one of the participants, tried her luck at the frisbee golf stand. Three attempts and three precise hits later, I cheered loudly with her and her team and created a wave for Melina. Her happiness when I handed her the medal was immense. The participants’ enthusiasm and warmth were contagious!"