MADISON, Miss.- The Special Olympics Unified Sports Rivalry Series is back, kicking off on Friday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m.
The first game will be hosted at Ole Miss with the Unified Tide of the University of Alabama, and Unified Rebels of Ole Miss.
The series is a movement in which student partners are paired with Special Olympics athletes for a game in order to break stereotypes and create friendships.
“Special Olympics athletes are training now alongside students and preparing to take the field against the Unified Tide,” said Amanda Alpert, Coordinator of intramural sports and sport clubs at the University of Mississippi.
The first college program in the state was established in 2015 at the University of Mississippi by students working with Alpert. There are flag football and basketball programs and they include athletes from all across North Mississippi.
During the first two years of operation, the unified teams of Ole Miss and MSU raised more than $15,000 to support Special Olympics Mississippi.
The third annual Unified Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and MSU will be held on Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Mississippi State intramural fields in Starkville. So far Ole Miss leads the series 2-0.
Currently, Special Olympics Mississippi serves more than 4,000 athletes through a network of 17 multi-county areas and thousands of volunteers.
