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In the News

Unified Sport and Inclusion: Sunday 19 January—A Double Event in Rieti with 5-a-Side Football and Basketball

A person holding a ball in front of a crowd
Special Olympics Italia Basketball competition

The following is an excerpt from the Italian newspaper, Il Messaggero, on the Unified with Refugees events that took place this past weekend in Rieti, Italy:

RIETI - Two sports, two great passions, one great Unified Special Olympics event on Sunday that will involve athletes with and without intellectual disabilities from the Fortitudo Baskin, Team Sport L'Aquila, and Rietinclude teams, with the support of young refugees from Rieti participating as well. Team sports have an inestimable power as an engine of inclusion, even more so if experienced as a Unified sport: a unique opportunity to experience diversity.

For this reason, on Sunday 19 January at Pala Malfatti from 9.30 a.m. and at Pala Sojourner from 10.30 a.m., fun will be guaranteed and the invitation to attend the event was shared by the provincial director of the Rieti Team of Special Olympics Morena De Marco to all sports lovers.

To reinforce the importance of this double Unified sport event, the presence of Gerald Mballe, first councilor of the "Unified with Refugees" program, himself a former refugee, reflected on the power of these events: "Sport has the unique ability to bridge divisions and unite people from all walks of life. Through our program, we have created spaces where refugees and people with intellectual disabilities can learn from each other and experience the joy of playing together."


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