The Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club Foundation and Special Olympics Israel announced Monday the foundation has become Israel’s first Team Ambassador for the global Special Olympics Movement.
The two say they’re partnering to promote greater inclusion, acceptance and raise public awareness about people with intellectual disabilities through athletic competition and other related programs.
Through the partnership, Maccabi Tel Aviv FC joins leading global soccer clubs like Ajax Amsterdam, Inter Milan, Totenham and Celtic, as Team Ambassador.
Through the cooperation, Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Foundation and Special Olympics will give these athletes the opportunity through sports to realize their potential, develop physically, mentally and socially, club officials said.
“Special Olympics programs help those with intellectual challenges and aligns itself perfectly with one of the Foundation’s main goals — the promotion of social action activities,” said Josh Halickman, head of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club Foundation. “It is a great honor for us to raise public awareness about this most important issue and ensure that this segment of the population has the opportunity to play football and be recognized for their special abilities and talents.”
Between September 25 to 27, Special Olympics Israel will be holding its first-ever national games. More than 1,200 athletes will participate in 11 sports including, bowling, kayaking, horseback riding and football. The majority of the activities will take place at the Wingate Institute.
Prior to the start of the games a Torch Relay (between September 18-25) will visit nine cities across the country from Beer Sheva in the south all the way to Beit Shean in the north. Thousands of supporters and fans will take part in the Torch Relay.
Special Olympics Israel is a member of the Special Olympics international organization, which was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in the United States. The organization was founded with the belief that people with intellectual disabilities had many talents and gifts to offer and used sports as a common ground to unite people from all walks of life.
Special Olympics Israel holds a membership of more than 3,500 athletes participating in 16 sports while more than 4.5 million athletes in 177 countries take part in programming around the globe.