February 22, 2012
SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Special Olympics MilanoPartnership with Special Olympics forms part of the Euroleague for Life corporate responsibility programme.

The League have been supporting Special Olympics for the last three season. With the campaign “Basketball for Everyone”, Euroleague wants to promote the inclusion, respect and integration in our community of people with Intellectual disabilities.

“We are very proud to offer our platform to raise awareness and support for Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. Special Olympics athletes remind us of the true joy of the game and so they are an inspiration to the rest of the European Basketball community.” Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague CEO.

“This partnership has had a positive impact on SOEE’s Basketball programm, as well as bringing the organisation a new-found awarness across Europe htough publicity generated through multiple communication channels.” Mary Davies, SOEE Managing Director.

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PHOTO GALLERY

Some examples of this amazing partnership:

Special Olympics Final Four crowns Turkey as champ

While the Turkish Airlines Euroleague finalists, Maccabi Electra and Panathinaikos await the title game Sunday on the Palau Sant Jordi floor, Euroleague for Life’s parallel Final Four in Barcelona, featuring four Special Olympics basketball teams, already crowned its champion, Turkey, by midday Saturday. The final was a thriller between Turkey and Spain that was decided in the last seconds by 19-24, while Italy finished third and Greece, fourth in a game that ended 32-10.

Former players Tomas Jofresa and Roger Esteller, coach Sergio Scariolo and Euroleague Basketball President and CEO Jordi Bertomeu handed out the trophy in the Awards Ceremony, capping off the season for the shinning Final Four teams, who had to endure a tough qualification stage against other European squads. With basketball the third most popular sport in the Special Olympics movement, with more than 53,000 players in Europe/Eurasia, Special Olympics European Basketball Week celebrated another great outing for the second year in a row, and the 24 Barcelona participants will cap off their great weekend by attending all Euroleague Final Four games at the Palau Sant Jordi as special guest, ending with Sunday’s final.

Strategic Planning and Marketing Director of Special Olympics Kai Troll

"I think the teams have showed quite a high level in Barcelona and you can see it with the results on the floor, but most important is that the athletes had the opportunity to play here thanks to the Euroleague, and we have to build now on this sentiment. This is a lifetime opportunity for these athletes, travelling outside their country for the first time, in most cases, and surrounded in an environment of elite athletes, which makes it very special for them. And that’s really the message of inclusion and social integration that the Special Olympics stand for."

With the Special Olympics title decided in Barcelona in Continental basketball’s biggest stage, Euroleague Basketball again emphasizes the importance the game has in order to promote the respect, acceptance and integration of players with intellectual disabilities.

Spain player Esteban Rubio

"We had a great time here and the level of competition was very high. I had a blast both whatching the Final Four , meeting a lot of people and playing in the tournament. Now we are tired form the effort, we could not get the win against Turkey in the Final but we played very well and hope to get back here next year."

Spain head coach Pep Rovira

"The stage is fantastic here in Palau Sant Jordi, next to where the Final Four title will be decided. NIKE and the Euroleague have been great with us. It is the first time we have had this kind of tournament with the Special Olympics and I think we should have one like this every year, wherever the Final Four takes place."

Euroleague Basketball dedicates once again, two competition dates to promote Special Olympics

Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce that its clubs, players, coaches and referees showed again their dedication and collaboration with intellectual disabled athletes by actively supporting Special Olympics with on-court promotions during 24 games over two weeks. This marks the third season in a row that Euroleague Basketball partners with Special Olympics in its ongoing campaign to promote participation in basketball among its members. With this action, Euroleague Basketball supports the Special Olympics European Basketball Week, an event which involves 17,000 athletes, 10,000 spectators, 5,000 volunteers and 3,000 families in 32 European countries. Special Olympics European Basketball Week is a highlight on the Special Olympics calendar and is part of the organization’s ongoing commitment to increasing the number of registered basketball players in Europe to 60,000 and 600 additional volunteer coaches by 2012. The Special Olympics games, which form part of the Euroleague's Regular Season phase, began on Wednesday, November 23 and continued through Thursday, November 24 for Regular Season Game 6 and again on Wednesday, November 30 and continue through Thursday, December 1 for Regular Season Game 7.

All the Euroleague games played between those dates featured a concerted effort to promote respect, acceptance and inclusion for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Euroleague players warmed up for each game wearing shirts and red laces with the Special Olympics logo, while team captains speaked to the home fans just before each opening tip-off. At some of these games, fans had the opportunity to support Special Olympics through their social media channels or by getting their own laces at the Special Olympics online store.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SOEuropeEurasia
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/SpecialOlympicsEE
SO online store: http://www.gbnonline.co.uk/specialolympics

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