Fans from all corners of the world are uniting, footballers are focusing on team efforts and countries are coming together, even if through opposition, to support their team for the FIFA World Cup. The event truly invites community and togetherness. This year, the Special Olympics wants to promote another kind of bonding, through the Special Olympics Unity Cup presented by Coca-Cola.
Celebrities, football players and Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disabilities will join forces in a match to be played before the July 3 quarterfinals. The roster of players was announced at the Special Olympics Global Congress under way in Marrakesh, Morocco.
“We hope that worldwide fans of football who have tickets to the quarterfinal in Cape Town will head to the stadium early that Saturday (July 3) to watch these celebrities and our athletes take the field,” said Timothy P. Shriver, Special Olympics Chairman & CEO in a press release. “Thanks to our global partner, Coca-Cola, we can turn the people’s attention to football not only as a sport, but as a powerful agent of change that can unite people with and without intellectual disabilities.”
In addition to 16 Special Olympics athletes, players will include President Jacob G. Zuma, his Excellency, of South Africa; Dikembe Mutombo, NBA legend and Global Ambassador; Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress and Special Olympics Global Ambassador; Enrique Borja, Mexican striker for Mexican National team from 1966-1975 and Desiree Ellis, former captain of South Africa’s National Women’s Football Team and FIFA Ambassador for 2010. Check out the athletes here.
The Special Olympics Unity Cup is an extension of the Special Olympics Unified Sports Program which teams up players with and without intellectual disabilities in order to debunk stereotypes and crush boundaries.
“We are excited to have such an accomplished group of football legends and celebrities join us to help bring attention to how football can unite people,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company and Special Olympics International board member in the press release. “The Unity Cup is a testament to that power as we have brought together our partners at Special Olympics and FIFA to shine a spotlight on the important values of understanding, acceptance and inclusion that we all share.”
Photo courtesy of the Special Olympics.