Basketball

Together with our partners at @fiba, we’re proud to host the first-ever #SpecialOlympics 3x3 Unified Basketball World Cup, where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities will compete side-by-side on the global stage. Get ready for unforgettable moments, fierce competition, and the power of inclusion in action.

The 22nd edition of Special Olympics European Basketball Week sees 25,000+ players with and without intellectual disabilities taking part in 250 events in 35+ countries, with the support of TME, UPS, FIBA Europe and FIBA Foundation. Games, tournaments, workshops and other activities will be offered across the region for boys, girls and mixed teams, with a focus on Special Olympics Unified Sports® and reaching new Special Olympics Unified Schools through a cross-collaboration with FIBA Hoops 4 Schools. 

Meet Cecilia Gonzalez, a basketball player with Special Olympics Paraguay, whose life is now unrecognizable after she discovered her love for basketball and competing with Special Olympics.

October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce and reaffirming our commitment to inclusive employment.

200 athletes from around the world will compete in this historic event.

The Special Olympics Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup Draw Ceremony was held today in San Juan, Puerto Rico officially marking the start of the World Cup and setting the stage for what teams, spectators, families, and basketball fans around the world can expect for gameplay come 5 – 7 December.

San Juan will make history this December hosting the world’s first inclusive basketball tournament of its kind, where athletes of all abilities will compete side by side, demonstrating the power of sport to unite and inspire.

Youth Empowered, Leaders Inspired is a storytelling series that highlights the journeys of individuals who got their start with Special Olympics at a young age—and never looked back.

Brothers Rolandas and Rimvydas Kriauzliai, aged 24 years old, were part of the winning Lithuanian team at the recent FIBA Open in Mies, Switzerland for the third time in a row. Here, they discuss how their team clinched victory against Italy in a thrilling final, their 17-year journey with Special Olympics and the magic of competing at the FIBA Open!

This World Refugee Day, we’re celebrating the remarkable story of Olubunmi and her family—originally from Nigeria and now living in Madrid, Spain—who have used the power of sport, dance and music to bring health, healing and enduring hope into their lives.