Old LEGO Bricks Will Be Used to Construct Wheelchair Ramps for the 2022 European Championships in Munich

LEGO creations are much more than the sum of their toy blocks. The interlocking plastic bricks have been used to make everything from life-sized instruments to miniature architectural marvels. Now, the city of Munich, Germany, is collecting the beloved brick building material for a serious purpose. As Inside the Games reports, the 2022 European Championships will feature wheelchair ramps made from recycled LEGO pieces.

Next year, European athletes from across the continent will gather in the German city to compete in the multi-sport tournament. In addition to traditional wheelchair ramps, the event venue will showcase inclines built from LEGO blocks. The LEGO creations aren't supposed to replace the traditional structures—according to event organizers, they're meant to draw awareness to the need for accessible infrastructure for pedestrians with disabilities.

The European Championships Munich 2022 launched its Count & Last initiative in September 2021, and it's already collected more than 1500 LEGO bricks. The goal is to gather 22,000 blocks by the end of the month. Locals can donate LEGO pieces they have at home by dropping them off at the event's Munich office or organizing a pick-up for donations of one kilogram or more. If you're not close enough to hand off your old sets in person, you can mail them to LOC European Championships Munich 2022, Spiridon-Louis-Ring 22, 80809 Munich, Germany.

On Sunday, October 10, members of the public are invited to meet at Olympiapark in Munich to put the ramps together. The structures assembled that day will be used by visitors from around the world when the games kick off on August 11, 2022. The project may not lead to more LEGO bricks on city street corners, but it will hopefully get more people thinking about accessibility features they would otherwise overlook. You can check out more amazing LEGO creations here.