Special Olympics El Salvador commemorated World Down Syndrome Day with a great example of inclusion, collaboration and awareness-raising.
On March 20, the professional football (soccer) teams Santa Tecla Soccer Club faced Municipal Limeño in a hard-fought match. But beyond the spectacle of soccer, audiences witnessed a powerful homage to Special Olympics athletes, with a very special commemoration of World Down Syndrome Day.
It all began on March 4, when players from the Santa Tecla Soccer Club participated in a workshop with athletes from Special Olympics El Salvador. In the workshop, the Special Olympics athletes designed a t-shirt that the players would wear on their anticipated match against Municipal Limeño. The art created by the eight athletes formed part of the final design, and this was just the beginning of a grand collaboration that included corporate partnerships, like sportswear brand MACA and El Salvador media outlets.
A media tour was organized to promote the limited-edition shirt, the partnership between Special Olympics El Salvador and the Santa Tecla Soccer Club, and the upcoming match. Athletes from Special Olympics El Salvador were part of the game’s opening ceremony, which became a commemoration of World Down Syndrome Day, showing audiences a magnificent act of representation, inclusion and awareness-raising.
