Special Olympics Tanzania has a special celebration for the 50th Anniversary!
While the Special Olympics 50th celebration in Chicago took place 16–21 July, 2018, Special Olympics Tanzania joined the worldwide celebrations with local engagement events of its own.
- Media Training
- Visiting children at Temeke Hospital
- Play Unified Football Tournament
The events were held in memory of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics movement and a leading international advocate for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities.
The ultimate goal of the whole week was to have all people around the world to “Play Unified. Live Unified” and remembering that this hero urged us to demonstrate friendship in the playing field and outside the field. She taught us to remember our humanity and forget our differences, uniting people people with and without intellectual disabilities. Today, we have the #ChoosetoInclude and #InclusionRevolution campaign.
Media training
This training aimed to educate and generate awareness about Special Olympics and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder and visionary for Special Olympics and many other life transforming initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
The training was about public awareness, and covered the concept of Special Olympics 50th Anniversary, the history of Special Olympics and the evolution of social inclusion and Unified Sports.
Visit to Temeke Children’s Hospital
On 17 July, Special Olympics athletes and coaches, joined by journalists, visited Temeke Regional Referral Hospital with gifts to say hello to the children admitted long term at the Orthopedic Ward.
Play Unified Football Match
On the morning of Saturday 21 July, athletes, coaches and families joined together in fitness exercises in collaboration with the local AFYA BORA SPORTS AND FITNESS CLUB. The day was concluded by our athletes and partners playing a Unified Football match against the AZAM JUNIOR FOOTBALL TEAM at AZAM Complex Stadium.
In the first half teams played against each other, and in the second half athletes and partners mixed with their opponents, the AZAM players, to form two Unified two teams.
Government Recognition
The fitness exercises saw the appearance of government leaders in support of the day, and also in support of Special Olympics to recognize the gifts of those with intellectual disability and issue a call to action to join the global #InclusionRevolution campaign, championing acceptance and dignity!
Speeches were made on the value and importance of Unified Sports. They insisted on doing away with the segregation and discrimination, accepting people with intellectual disability into the community so that we can all live in a world of acceptance and respect to all.
