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LINNÉ A BJÖRNDAHL , SPECIAL OLYMPIC S SWEDEN

“I am because we are.”

Thanks to Funkisfonden (the Special Athletes Fund) 2019 and
Sigma’s role as main sponsor of Special Olympics Sweden since
2020, Linnéa Björndahl has become a familiar face. Linnéa is the
national director of Special Olympics Sweden, which today is

part of the Swedish Parasport Federation.

Everyone who meets Linnéa is immediately struck 2009 she graduated with a degree in communica-
by her energy and drive. Her knowledge and tion studies from Södertörn University.
experience of sport and activity for people with
intellectual disabilities is also striking. She is “I’ve always been active and started early as a
extremely knowledgeable about and aware of the fitness instructor, and after graduation I had the priv-
work required to create an inclusive society, as well ilege of being able to combine my interest in travel,
as how important it is for people with an intellec- training and working with people,” says Linnéa,
tual disability to remain active and to be part of a looking back on the period after her graduation.
context. And given that Linnéa likes nothing better
than making sure everyone one else is fine, she is After a few years working as a fitness instructor
certainly the right person in the right place. Howev- and tour guide on activity holidays, she applied
er, it was her youthful fascination with other cultures successfully for a global internship with the Swedish
and peoples that inspired her dream of becoming a International Development Cooperation Agency
foreign correspondent. She had intended to study (Sida) in South Africa. This was an opportunity to
journalism but soon found another path and in gain an entirely new perspective on life and the
world during a period that shaped Linnéa into the
person she is today.