Olympiacos repeats as One Team Gold Program honoree

The 2021-22 winners of the One Team Awards were announced during the 12th One Team Annual Workshop in Castelldefels, Barcelona, on July 14. For the second year in a row, Olympiacos Piraeus won the One Team Gold Program award. The One Team Silver Program prize went to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and the One Team Bronze Program trophy was won by Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Additionally, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was recognized with the Judges' Award for Community Development, while Olympiacos forward Kostas Papanikolaou took home the Best One Team Ambassador distinction.

The One Team program celebrated its 10th anniversary during the 2021-22 season. Ever since its founding in 2012, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program has been able to count on the support of Turkish Airlines and its long-term partnership with Special Olympics, as the clubs in Europe's two most prestigious basketball club competitions use the power of basketball to make a difference in their local communities.

Many Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup teams made strong improvements to their social responsibility programs last season, even though the COVID-19 pandemic made this more difficult due to the restrictions still in place in some countries.

"Once again, we are beyond proud of how so many EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs overcame adversity to deliver important, positive One Team experiences to their participants last season," Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Development Officer, said. "The return to in-person sessions was clearly beneficial to everyone involved, and you only have to see the smiles on the faces of the participants to know that. We wish to congratulate all the award winners for going the extra distance to make their programs as special as they were and to assure that One Team enters into its second decade with even greater ambitions to help more and more people in our communities."

Olympiacos used the values of basketball in its One Team program with the 1st Elementary School of Agios Dimitrios, as it provided assistance for 20 children with intellectual disabilities between the ages of nine and 13 from the region of Athens. The club also had a program that provided expert support and care to adults, minors or adolescents who have spent time in closed child-protection institutions.

Penelope Giovanovits, One Team Manager from Olympiacos Piraeus, said: "We at Olympiacos cannot believe that we have won this award for the second year in a row. One Team is a big family that unites people and clubs, as it creates projects every year that improve lives. We are excited being part of this and thankful for the award. We would also like to congratulate our forward, Kostas Papanikolaou, for winning the Best One Team Ambassador award."

The One Team program implemented by Fenerbahce saw it join forces with club partner Beko to assist students who come from low-income families at the public TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School. These 15 children, aged between 14 and 16, had weekly sessions with Fenerbahce youth-team coaches and experts from Beko to aid them in their development.

Mert Ahmet Gunduz, One Team Manager from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, said: "One Team was one of Fenerbahce's main focuses since the beginning of the season, and every single member of the Fenerbahce staff – at all levels of the club – worked very hard to help towards winning this award. Thanks to the support of our social partners, we did a great job in these eight months."

Baskonia once again partnered with the Gizarterako Association as part of its One Team program, which focused on social integration in the region of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The club's 5+11 Foundation implemented the One Team methodology to emphasize healthy lifestyles, respect, teamwork and tolerance with local girls and boys.

Dorleta de la Presa, One Team Manager from Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, said: "We want to say thank you to the Euroleague for creating a program like One Team, and for the support they give us every season. For us, the prize is having these families and children with us year after year. "

Recognized for excelling in community development last season, Milan joined forces with Laureus Sport for Good Italia Onlus to support children aged between 12 and 13 from Instituto Comprensivo Arcadia – Milan. This included focusing on life skills and the importance of 'team' and 'community', with 100 children in five classes taking part over a 12-week period.

Michele Samaden, One Team Manager for AX Armani Exchange Milan, said: "It's an honor for us to receive this award. For us, the most important thing about One Team is that it gives us the opportunity every year to grow as people. This allows us to bring positive change to all the people who participate in our project."

The ambassador award won by Papanikolaou pays tribute to the excellent work conducted by players across the competitions in supporting their local communities by engaging actively in One Team.

In addition to the winners, the other teams shortlisted for the One Team Program Awards were Mincidelici JL Bourg En Bresse and Zalgiris Kaunas.

The awards were given out with support from Turkish Airlines representative Emel Sonbahar and Euroleague Basketball Ambassador David Rivers on the second day of the One Team Annual Workshop as clubs learned from their peers and outside expert speakers about ways to continue making further enhancements to the program in order to strengthen the positive impact on the participants.

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, among others.