About this project
WORLD AMBASSADOR
On the 19th of June 2018, Ricky Rubio became the ambassador of The Special Olympics to recognize his implication and personal dedication to integrate and normalize this collective in The United States and Spain over the past few years.
SUPPORT TO THE UNIFIED BASKETBALL
His first act as ambassador was to sponsor the II Unified Basketball Tournament held in Spain in June 2018 in the facilities of Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona, a scenario loaded with memories for him who was formed and debuted as a professional in Joventut, a reference team in European basketball. A year later, in June 2019, the III Edition was held in his own town, El Masnou, and on the Ricky Rubio court of the municipal pavilion that with his support and that of his Foundation was restored months before. After the forced break due to the pandemic, it is planned to recover the tournament in the summer of 2022.Unified Basketball is played between mixed teams composed of players with and without intellectual disabilities with great results in terms of normalization and promotion of the most solid values of the sport.
PHILOSOPHY
“When we talk about normalizing and adapting the life of certain people in our society, sometimes sports becomes a powerful tool to do so, with less theory and more practical results. I am up for it. Basketball and unified sports are not a request that society imposes on you. It is, on the contrary, an activity that everyone has the right to practice. We cannot denied this right to anyone, and we should all support the ones who may struggle the most when to practice sports. It is about practicing sports as a team, together, something that should not be difficult for anyone as it is an activity that provides a big dose of enthusiasm, effort, teamwork, responsibility and organization. To make a team and play with this collective, it teaches us all that it is an opportunity to discover another layer of sports that it is fascinating. Basketball also, makes it easy, because without a team playing together there is no basketball”
said Rubio on the 19th of June, 2018
COMPROMISE
The work of support and proximity is present on a regular basis in the day to day of his professional life, wherever he is. Throughout each NBA season, Ricky Rubio participates in Special Olympics events and every summer he opens the doors to NBA Cares at its El Collell Campus, in Banyoles, leading unforgettable days.
