Mies, Switzerland, June 17, 2019: The International Basketball Foundation (IBF) and Special Olympics announced their partnership during the FIBA Open in Mies (IBF Special Olympics Partnership).
This cooperation marks their joint commitment to leverage the power of Special Olympics Unified Sports® with the aim of fostering inclusion on and off the basketball court.
“We are happy to grow the basketball family through this partnership,” said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.
“Inclusiveness is at the core of the Foundation’s values, by joining our efforts with Special Olympics we are making basketball more accessible.”
Special Olympics Unified Sports® brings people with intellectual disabilities (referred to as “athletes”) and people without intellectual disabilities (referred to as “partners”) as equals on the same team.
Unified Sports was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship, understanding and acceptance.
Currently, of the 535,000 athletes participating in traditional Special Olympics basketball, there are more than 200,000 athletes and partners in Unified basketball.
“Special Olympics pleased to be officially partnering with the International Basketball Foundation.
We have had the unwavering support of the Foundation for the last two years in helping us bring awareness to the need for more inclusive sports opportunities for those with disabilities.
Their initiatives to provide the positive benefits of basketball to a larger group of participants through 3×3 basketball and mini basketball aligns perfectly with Special Olympics’ inclusive Unified Sports program,” said Lou Lauria, Chief of Sport and Games, Special Olympics.
To mark this partnership, 12 Unified teams representing Special Olympics Programs in Switzerland, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy and Lithuania competed in the 5th edition of the FIBA Open at the House of Basketball in Mies.
Special Olympics Global Ambassador and NBA Legend Sam Perkins who watched the action on court, said: “These athletes show us the power of inclusion every time they get on the court.
I see them playing together and cheering each other on together, truly embodying the purity of the sport.
This partnership will bring more awareness to the need for continuing to develop basketball and providing more opportunities for continued growth in the sport.”
For more information, visit fiba.com/foundation. —- FIBA
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