Special Olympics North Carolina athletes from Durham and Orange counties will join together on the same team with students from programs at Duke University and UNC. They will compete in the third UNC Special Olympics vs. Duke Unified Basketball Game at 9 a.m. in Duke’s Brodie Gym.
The annual event is important for the region because it brings together university students as well as members of the community with autism.
Half of the team consists of people with autistic spectrum disorder, which are developmental disabilities caused by a brain abnormality.
As the third annual event, Alyssa Taflinger, the event coordinator for UNC, said the team has invested heavily to make sure it is the biggest yet.
“We’re working hard to try make it a huge event this year. The team consists of six UNC students and six members who are from our local community, such as in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and have autistic spectrum disorder. All of them will be coming together and playing together against Duke,” Taflinger said.
Megan Balentine, volunteer coordinator, said this puts the rivalry between UNC and Duke to good use.
“People from the community with intellectual or developmental disabilities are able to come together as a team and are cheered on by several other members of the community, which is important because we are fostering an environment of inclusion and positivity while allowing our athletes a chance to show their awesome skills,” Balentine said.
The Special Olympics North Carolina, Balentine said, offers year-round sports training and competition for nearly 40,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
