Students To Participate In Special Olympics Utah Unified Sports Basketball Tournament

March 16, 2022

Davis School District partners with Utah First Lady Abby Cox and the Murdock Family Foundation to incorporate Special Olympics Utah Unified Sports program into its schools

CLEARFIELD – Teams from eight Davis School District high schools will gather at Clearfield High on Wednesday to participate in the district’s first ever Special Olympics Utah Unified Sports tournament.

Unified Sports is an inclusive sports program that combines a proportionate number of Special Olympics Utah athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) on teams for training and competition. Teammates are similar in age and ability to foster meaningful involvement in the game and build friendships that extend beyond the game.

In partnership with Davis School District, Davis Education Foundation and the You are the Heart…Murdock Family Foundation, the tournament comes as part of Utah First Lady Abby Cox’s “Show Up” initiative to expand the Unified Sports Program in Utah schools. Cox said her hope is that the program will lead to friendships, building empathy, fostering inclusion and creating greater understanding.

“Not only do these wonderful students make friends on the court, they also keep those friendships as they attend class and see each other in the hallway,” Cox said. “This commitment from Davis School District, the Davis Education Foundation and the Murdock Family Foundation is an incredible step toward ensuring that every student in Davis School District feels loved, has friends who support them and that everyone feels a sense of inclusion and belonging.”

The tournament will start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16, in the Clearfield High School gym, 931 S 1000 East, Clearfield. An opening ceremony will include a parade of athletes and remarks from Cox. Four basketball games will be played throughout the morning and an awards ceremony will close out the tournament around 1:15 p.m. The First Lady will provide media availability at 10:30 a.m.

Davis School District, Davis Education Foundation and the First Lady’s foundation extend a special thanks to the You are the Heart…Murdock Family Foundation for its generous sponsorship of $20,000 to assist in the initiation of Unified Sports program in Davis School District. That commitment to supporting students is what made this tournament possible.

About Special Olympics Utah Unified Sports
The program was created as a partnership between Utah High School Activities Association and Special Olympics Utah to provide schools the opportunity to participate in interscholastic co-ed Unified Sports: soccer, basketball and track & field. The Unified Sports philosophy includes social inclusion, meaningful involvement of all teammates, playing together and respecting teammates and others on and off the field of play.

Download a copy of this press release here.

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