[ by Rick Pettine ]
May 29, 2025 – Camden, NJ was host to a very special event in the shadow of Subaru Park, home of the Philadelphia Union MLS soccer team. Special Olympics Pennsylvania held their Interscholastic Unified Sports (IUS) Spring 2025 soccer tournament for several Philadelphia-regional participating schools.
The Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools program is aimed at promoting social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities affecting systems-wide change. With sports as the foundation, the three component model of Unified Champion Schools (UCS) offers a unique combination of effective activities that equip young people with tools and training to create sports, classroom and school climates of acceptance. These are school climates where students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in, and feel a part of, all activities, opportunities and functions.
By providing opportunities for students both with all types of disabilities and without disabilities to participate in sports meaningfully and by engaging other students in the school community, IUS helps promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect.
The Special Olympics Interscholastic Unified Sports program is endorsed and supported by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and the Bureau of Special Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Special Olympics Pennsylvania is working with 370+ schools throughout Pennsylvania, including the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, to provide IUS programs for Indoor Bocce, Track and Field, and Soccer. Partnerships with schools include funding, resources and staff support.
Over the course of four years, Special Olympics Pennsylvania seeks to build a network of partnerships with school districts which encompass all areas of the state. The goal is to have high schools throughout Pennsylvania offer Interscholastic Unified Sports opportunities in at least two Unified Sports.
What a spectacular day for these athletes!
Check out the day’s action shots in the gallery below:
