Special Olympics athletes compete for inclusion in Chch

A group of Special Olympics athletes will compete in a one-off exhibition football match next week to celebrate the Special Olympics Global Day of Inclusion.

The Special Olympics NZ team that competed at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi earlier this year will play against an invitational team in a Unified football match at Hagley Park on Sunday 21 July.

“The Unified format sees people with and without intellectual disabilities competing on the same team,” says Special Olympics New Zealand Chief Executive Carolyn Young. “It was inspired by a simple principle - training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. It’s all about tolerance and acceptance.”

The event is part of a global effort by Special Olympics International to promote Unified Sports during the month of July. The week of 15 July marks the anniversary of the founding of the Special Olympics movement.

DATE: Sunday 21 July 2019

TIME: Midday kickoff

LOCATION: Hagley Park South, Christchurch – International Football 2 (just off Deans Ave)

WHAT: Special Olympics NZ World Summer Games athletes compete against an invitational team in a Unified football match.

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