Play Unified
The Play Unified marketing campaign is a way to excite and engage young people to come out and play Unified Sports®. Play Unified also expresses the movement’s ambition to be recognized as an inclusive community where people with and without intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate each other’s gifts, both on and off the playing field.
What is Play unified
The Play Unified campaign is a way to excite and engage young people to come out and play Unified Sports®.
Play Unified expresses the movement’s ambition to be recognized as an inclusive community where people with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate each other’s gifts, both on and off the playing field.
Play Unified activities are informal and could include pickup games, halftime Unified Sports® demonstrations, basketball shooting contests, dancing contests, corn hole tournaments—any “unified” activity that’s fun and fluid in nature, vs. competitive play.
Play Unified is not intended as a specific call to play Special Olympics Unified Sports®. Unified Sports® is just one of the many ways that people with and without ID can engage with the Special Olympics movement.
Play Unified expresses the movement’s ambition to be recognized as an inclusive community where people with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate each other’s gifts, both on and off the playing field.
Play Unified activities are informal and could include pickup games, halftime Unified Sports® demonstrations, basketball shooting contests, dancing contests, corn hole tournaments—any “unified” activity that’s fun and fluid in nature, vs. competitive play.
Play Unified is not intended as a specific call to play Special Olympics Unified Sports®. Unified Sports® is just one of the many ways that people with and without ID can engage with the Special Olympics movement.
Resources for Activation
It has taken the action and effort of so many passionate people to make Unified Sports Special Olympics' fastest growing initiative. Ready to help the cause? This page has resources to help you get started.
Want to know how to activate the campaign? Use these tools to learn how to use the Unified Emoji or take Unified Selfies.
A PDF overview of Unified Sports that defines each of the three Unified Sports models.
Impromptu soccer / football games that get the general public and Special Olympics athletes playing together.
Read articles about Play Unified
In this section, athletes can find available educational materials including access to videos and handouts from Opening Eyes, Healthy Hearing, Special Smiles, Health Promotion, Strong Minds, FUNfitness, and Fit Feet.
This 3-minute cartoon video follows Jessica, a sibling of a person with an intellectual disability, as she learns about Special Olympics Youth Leadership and opportunities to advocate for people with intellectual disabilities in her community.
This 3-minute cartoon video follows Jessica, a sibling of a person with an intellectual disability, as she learns about Special Olympics Youth Leadership and opportunities to advocate for people with intellectual disabilities in her community.