Special Olympics Michigan Represented At U.S. Summer Games, Unified Cup To Be Hosted By Detroit

Southfield (CW50) - It's been a busy year that's about to get even busier for Special Olympics Michigan.

The representation of Michigan athletes down at the U.S. Summer Special Olympic Games in Florida was large and around the same time, Michigan held its own State Summer Games for Michigan Athletes.

At the end of July, Detroit is hosting the Special Olympics Unified Cup for the first time in the state's history. Unified Cup is a soccer tournament that welcomes over 300 footballers from over 20 nations to compete in football (soccer)—the world's most popular sport. The Special Olympics Unified Cup is slated for July 31st - August 6th, 2022.

Learn more at SpecialOlympics.com

Unified teams are comprised of footballers with and without intellectual disabilities playing together. The Unified Cup is part of the large Special Olympics Unified Sports, where a variety of sports are played in the same format with athletes with and without these disabilities.

Lourin Sprenger from Special Olympics Michigan joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect to recap the Summer Games, discuss the Unified Cup, and preview the State Fall Games.

She also discusses the importance of sports to people with intellectual disabilities and how these events have made an impact on their lives, the lives of their families, and the lives of the volunteers.

Learn more at SOMI.org