Full of life and full of life: Julius and Marlene Dietrich compete in tennis at the Special Olympics. The siblings form a unified double, Julius has Down syndrome. His ambition also helps him in his job. Inclusion is lived there, just as his parents would like it to be even more in Germany.
The sun is burning, the red ash from the tennis courts in Berlin’s Grunewald forest has taken on a very specific smell that mixes with sweat. Whether it’s the athletes or the fans, nobody can escape the sweltering heat these days. Cheers and cheers in a wide variety of languages are spilling over the site, which is a venue for the Special Olympics World Games, from all directions, and games are being played in parallel on eight pitches.
A German group has formed on the very outside, at the back, trying to stand in the shadows that are scarce and keeping their fingers crossed for teammate Christian Schlaikier, who is fighting what seems to be a never-ending match with his opponent. Julius and Marlene Dietrich are also rooting for it, although they actually have to prepare and play it in themselves. But the teammate is just as important.
The siblings from Lehrte near Hanover compete in unified mixed doubles. In the Unified competitions, a disabled athlete plays with his able-bodied partner. 23-year-old Julius and his two-year-old sister are among those who represent Germany in tennis. The two have been preparing for a long time and Julius in particular, who was born with Down syndrome, wants to show what he can do. He competes both together with his sister and individually. He would love to win gold, like he did last year at the Special Olympics National Games.
Father Christian takes her to the tennis court early on
“The gold medal is not the decisive factor in the Special Olympics,” his father Christian told ntv.de, and mother Silke is also more important that her children have fun and have a great week in Berlin. Being there is everything, the Olympic motto applies even more to the Special Olympics, where everyone receives an award at the end. Christian Dietrich wishes for harmony in the run-up to the games and that his son forms a unit with the other participants. On the tennis court it becomes clear: his wish has come true.
People keep coming to the German group at the back, asking how things are going for Schlaikier, cheering, motivating, congratulating athletes who have already won on their games – and asking when and where Julius and Marlene will be playing soon . Spectators are sure of the siblings in a duel with the duo from Liechtenstein. Among them are her grandparents and friends who traveled to Berlin especially.
The two have been preparing for the Special Olympics for a long time. Marlene has been playing tennis for about 15 years, the student is now a trainer herself, her brother has also been playing since childhood. Her father got her into sports, he plays for PSV Rot-Gold Lehrte himself and the siblings also have a lot of fun. Being able to take part in the World Games for people with intellectual disabilities is something really big.
The doubles match with his sister is not Julius Dietrich’s first game that day. At noon he already played a singles game against an athlete from Pakistan. A close, balanced duel, which is not always easy to achieve. In order for the athletes to play against the same level of competition as possible, they are classified in a classification that takes place on the first days of the Special Olympics. It’s not about the type of disability, it’s about the skills on the pitch, fairness is the highest good. So it can happen that an athlete who suddenly surpasses himself in the competition and plays much better than in the classification is disqualified.
“He is my anchor”
Julius Dietrich sees his forehand as a strength, he wants to continue improving his serves, because he doesn’t feel “so sure yet”. But they are reliable against the Pakistani Mehmood Furqan, 6: 3 the 23-year-old wins the first set. Again and again he looks reassuringly at his sister, who follows the game behind the fence and motivates and praises him, he also comes over to high five. For his sister he is the greatest anyway. “The relationship between me and my brother is very difficult to put into words. If I’m feeling down, I go to him, we spend an hour together and I feel better again, I’m calmer and more relaxed. When we’re in a good mood we do cool stuff together,” she explains. “He is my anchor, I need him in every situation and I have him.”
In the second, too, he quickly leads 4-1, but then he has a small phase of weakness, and it shows the biggest problem that Julius Dietrich has: It’s difficult for him to concentrate for a long time, “then he makes small mistakes “, describes his sister. But he can turn it up again and also secures the second set – game won. A motivation boost for the other games and days, that’s how his mother, who is enthusiastic about the colorful hustle and bustle, evaluates it. The medals are only an afterthought, all participants receive an award at the end.
The Special Olympics are a highlight this year, in which Julius Dietrich has already experienced another milestone: He moved out and now lives in a flat share in Hanover. He still comes to Lehrte almost every day, but not to his parents, but to his job. He works in a big supermarket and quitting was not an option for him at all. He gladly accepts the longer journey with changes. “Julius is a really great person, a very loving person and also a really great colleague,” says a colleague about him and praises him. “He’s developed really well since he’s been here. He’s much more self-confident, much more relaxed.”
Dietrich works in the supermarket
It is not a matter of course that Julius Dietrich has a job on the primary job market. Access is denied to many people with disabilities. But the Lower Saxon grew into it quite naturally. It all started with an internship in which he did so well that the market hired him on a €400 basis. He solved the tasks “excellently”, said the deputy store manager Thorsten Nandy and so Julius Dietrich is now employed. He is responsible for the deep-frozen department and for the beverage market. “Julius is very calm, doesn’t get nervous, doesn’t have any problems with a lot of customers, he doesn’t get hectic,” praises Nandy.
When he leaves home, Dietrich texts the deputy branch manager to let him know. The trips work great: “He never misses a day, never misses, he’s here on time and always gets home safely,” says Nandy. Julius Dietrich is particularly proud of the fact that he has his own regular customers. After his gold at the National Games, they stopped by the supermarket to congratulate him, this time wishing him every success in advance.
Parents want more inclusion
For the young man from Hanover, his professional life is going well and he is also naturally integrated and always involved in his club, PSV Rot-Gold Lehrte. But he can’t play in tournaments, so the able-bodied gentlemen keep to themselves. His parents would like people with disabilities to experience inclusion everywhere. Sport helps immensely in development, encourages and challenges. But especially in sports, the focus is too much on performance, explains mother Silke Dietrich. “Maybe there should just be more fun and the clubs should open up to inclusion groups.”
Julius Dietrich will probably not be able to play with his role models Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber. But he likes to watch them on TV, “because I learn a lot from it myself,” he explains. He has a big dream: to be at the French Open or the US Open one day. “If not as a player then as a volunteer.”