Verde Sport's mission goes beyond offering state-of-the-art spaces and facilities. It also delivers an ongoing commitment to create an environment that is accessible and respects differences, where everyone - regardless of their abilities - can find fertile ground to express themselves.
Inclusiveness and disability at the centre
For Verde Sport, disability is never a limitation, but rather a starting point for building authentic bonds and new participation models.
This translates into dedicated ongoing projects and activities, which make these athletes an integral part of a pathway for growth and discovering their own potential.
A concrete example: the Special Olympics International Unified Basketball Tournament
The event hosted on 7 and 8 June, is a prime example of this commitment to disability and inclusion. The Special Olympics International Unified Basketball Tournament, now in its fourth consecutive year at La Ghirada, is the outcome of a partnership between One Team, I Baskettosi - the Treviso unified basketball team which is now well known throughout Europe - and Verde Sport.
As well as hosting the event, La Ghirada, the hub of this initiative, is making the entire facility available, thus offering a welcoming and inclusive environment that allows barriers to be broken down and real connections to be made.
The event welcomed 37 teams - over 500 participants - including able-bodied athletes and athletes with mental disabilities from 12 different countries (and, for the first time, including from the United States). On the open sports grounds and in the gyms of La Ghirada, these athletes competed in a tournament that is much more than a competition. It is also a time for sharing, listening and mutual growth, when basketball becomes opportunity for inclusion.
Verde Sport thus shows that sport is one of the most powerful tools for breaking down barriers and prejudices. Every game played is a step towards a world of work, and a wider world, in which disability, rather than being an obstacle, is a priceless asset. And a place where true success is not just measured by points on the scoreboard, but also by the ability to create spaces of respect, listening and opportunity for everyone.
