By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
EuroLeague Basketball’s social responsibility program One Team has been around for a decade, since 2012, and the organization will make a series of initiatives to celebrate the milestone, going into the new year.
Per EuroLeague Basketball:
The 2021-22 season marks the 10th anniversary of One Team, Euroleague Basketball’s corporate social responsibility program, which was launched back in February 2012.
Euroleague Basketball has planned several initiatives to celebrate this milestone. Firstly, a special 10oneteam badge for playing uniforms in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup has been created and will be worn by all players throughout the season.
A series of digital contents will be released to highlight the milestones of the One Team program since 2012, and the annual One Team Games will this season be moved to February to match the date of the program’s launch 10 years ago. More events will also be announced over the next few months.
This celebration belongs to the One Team participants, the clubs, and everyone else involved in the program, including One Team Ambassadors, non-governmental organization staff and volunteers, partners and, of course, the fans who have supported their local programs.
In addition to celebrating the past, One Team will also look to the future by addressing how best to support the program’s participants in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on mental and physical health.
Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball’s Chief Business Officer, stated: “We are extremely proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of One Team, Euroleague Basketball’s corporate social responsibility program. It has been a long journey that we have walked together with the collaboration of all the participating teams and we couldn’t be more satisfied.
“During these 10 years, One Team has made a difference through sport in the lives of more than 23,000 participants, helping groups in danger of exclusion to achieve a real impact within our communities. I would like to invite all fans, players, coaches, referees and partners to join us in the different activities that we will hold during this celebration and follow One Team’s spirit of integration.
“I would like to express our deepest gratitude to our founding patron, Turkish Airlines, whose continuous support has been integral in making this program a reality. Sincere thanks go also to our long-time proud partner Special Olympics for helping us achieve our mutual goal of using sport as a vehicle for improving our communities.”
With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of “community integration” that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.
Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse and gender, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has reached already, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.