Accessibility الخيارات الحسية
العربية
What are you looking for?
Accessibility
Grayscale
Night Mode
How was your experience?
{{ errors.first('radioFeedback') }}
Tell us more
{{ errors.first('yourName') }}
{{ errors.first('yourEmail') }}
{{ errors.first('feedbackMessage') }}

Unified Champion Schools

banner

Unified Sports

unified sports

Special Olympics is dedicated to promoting social inclusion through Unified Sports training and programs. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability. That makes practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Unified Sports activities will run throughout school year with the support of an adult coach and can include opportunities for competition.

Why Sports?

Sports can provide a way to break down barriers and promote inclusion. It helps reduce stigma and discrimination and changes the attitude of sports custodians in schools, who have the power to permit or deny children the right to take part in physical activity.

Unified Athletic Skills (UAS)

In partnership with PASS Abu Dhabi, Special Olympics UAE is launching the Unified Athletic Skills program under Unified Sports. The program involves athletes and unified partners working together supporting the school's journey towards Unified School and Unified Champion School status. Pairs utilize a set of multiple fitness videos that actively engage students to develop their athletic skills, support each other and better understand each others' abilities. UAS is applicable both on campus and through distance learning.

Partners

Unified Badminton

Badminton is an engaging sport that lends itself to unified play easily. It is a no-contact option for schools to provide physical activity while adhering to health and safety protocols. Badminton can be played indoors or outdoors which adds to its versatility as a Unified Sports option for schools and PE classes.

Special Olympics UAE, in partnership with Badminton World Federation, provide a complete learning pathway and resources which enable schools to implement Badminton as a unified sports options in schools.

Badminton can be implemented at a recreational or competitive levels within schools and could involve as few as two students or multiple teams. Unified badminton meets the Unified Sport criteria if ongoing training is conducted for at least one term either virtually or in-person.

Special Olympics UAE and Badminton World Federation look to establish recreational and competitive interscholastic Badminton matches and friendly engagement opportunities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2022 as permitted by government regulations for health and safety. To stay updated, please register for the UCS newsletter and attend monthly UCS meetings.

Partners

Unified Football League

Subject to Government health and safety regulations, schools across UAE can participate in Unified Football League events in-person to encourage recreational unified sports and sportsmanship between schools through competitions. More details will be made available at a later date.

The Unified Football League season will run from January 2022 to June 2022

Partners

Unified Fitness Clubs

Unified Fitness Clubs being together individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities for non-competitive physical activity. The Club provides individuals a way to challenge themselves, establish friendships and earn rewards.

Unified Fitness Clubs is open for registration from January 2022

For more information about Unified Champion Schools and other Special Olympics UAE initiatives, please contact

UCS@specialolympics.ae