Stories From the Field of Play

Hear from Special Olympics Unified Football coaches about their reasons for being involved in Special Olympics, what makes it so special, what they try to teach athletes and what the athletes teach them.

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a team at the Unified Cup or other Special Olympics competitions? Follow three of our programs on their daily schedules in Detroit while competing at the 2022 Unified Cup.

Hassam Zogaib (SO Paraguay) and Garrett Utz (SO Washington) are both qualified football officials. Throughout the 2022 Unified Cup, Hassam and Garrett officiated the tournament showing proficiency and high standards, whileenjoying themselves along the way. Listen to Hassam and Garrett’s journeys to becoming an official, and the benefits that being an official has for them.

Alvaro Brochero is a Special Olympics Athlete from Venezuela. He is a football coach, an advisor and an Athlete Leader. Qualified as a coach by CONMEBOL, Alvaro took up the role as Match Commissioner at the 2022 Unified Cup in Detroit. Here is his story.

The Special Olympics Unified Cup presented by Toyota was hosted in Detroit Michigan in July 2022. As the second iteration of the Cup, this single sport competition was built on the inaugural installment in Chicago in 2018.The Unified Cup brought together over 300 footballers from more than 20 nations to compete in football (soccer)—the world’s most popular sport. The Special Olympics Unified Cup took place 31 July – 6 August 2022 and Special Olympics Unified Sports® is what marked it as uniquely inclusive: teams that were comprised of footballers with and without intellectual disabilities playing together.

With the ball sitting at midfield of Glenn Warner Soccer Facility at the Naval Academy surrounded by a breathtaking backdrop of the Severn River with beautiful sailboats one-by-one sailing into port, it’s the perfect weather for one of the biggest events of the year. There’s a boat of Navy sailors docking in the distance. It’s a day of celebration for inclusion, for MLS, and for Special Olympics.

Few people can say they are single-handedly responsible for more than 45 people volunteering and working at Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

Five years of teaming up with Aerie to bolster confidence and foster inclusive communities! Check out the 8 athletes who participated in this year's photo shoot.

There was no shortage of amazing fans at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 and each day, fans and family members were able to join in the spirit of the Games helping to support and uplift all those competing.

Patty Carosotto spent most of her athletic days in the pool. Whether it be after school or on the weekends, she would splash into the water under the crisp sunlight in preparation for meets. All the while, her brother, who was born with cerebral palsy, got lost in the sound waves listening to Dodgers games. It was all the lessons she learned along the way caring for him that would shape her career to what it is today.