Slovakia recently returned home from Chicago as champions of the inaugural Special Olympics Unified Cup presented by Toyota.
The Slovakian team were among 24 women’s and men’s Unified football teams who took part in the Cup between 17 and 20 July in Chicago as part of Special Olympics 50th Anniversary celebrations! Russia, France, Germany and Italy were the other teams from Europe Eurasia teams who played like champions throughout the tournament but alas did not leave with the Cup.
Unified Sports as played in Chicago combine athletes—with and without intellectual disabilities—as teammates to showcase the power of playing together, helping to unite communities and foster an environment of acceptance and inclusion. The comraderie and passion of each Unified team was most certainly on display in Chicago and even more so back home in Slovakia when the team returned to a hero’s welcome!