Two newly-refurbished basketball courts opened in Istanbul on Thursday thanks to a joint project between One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, and its partner BKT.

One Team and BKT open new courts in Istanbul

The indoor and outdoor courts are located at the public TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, the partner of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's One Team program. 

The court opening was attended by institutional representatives of Euroleague Basketball, BKT and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, including star players and One Team Ambassadors Pierria Henry and Ismet Akpinar, who joined Thursday morning's court opening to help run a special activity with a group of 15 teenage students from the school as they enjoyed their new facility.

Abigail Martin, Euroleague Basketball's Director of Sustainability and Development Projects, was also in attendance, and she said: "It is a great honor to be here inaugurating these amazing courts we have refurbished thanks to our partnership with BKT and our social program One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines, and represented on this occasion by our club Fenerbahce Istanbul and its One Team work. These courts will make a positive change to the daily lives of students from TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School and are another great way to keep on celebrating the tenth anniversary of One Team."

BKT's Managing Director Lucia Salmaso said: "We at BKT are extremely glad to contribute to the growth of love for sport. We are proud that our support makes the gym of TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School finally accessible and new, so that students can find the special welcome that only sport can give offer. BKT wants to go beyond the role of sponsor – the real goal is to leave a mark, to help communities around the world to grow through sport. We want to take concrete actions and contribute to projects like this, that allow everyone to experience sport better, by means of inclusion and sharing."

Fenerbahce is delivering its One Team program to teenagers from low-income families who study at the school, using lessons from the basketball court to improve life skills such as motivation, decision-making, teamwork and effort. The club is also developing special content for future sessions related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 5 (on gender equality) and 13 (on climate action).

One Team Ambassador Akpinar said: "It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves and I'm really happy that my club has been able to work with One Team and BKT to give the students more access to basketball facilities. Playing sports regularly to stay fit mentally and physically is such an important part of growing up, and I look forward to coming back to the courts for more One Team sessions in the future."

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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). 

For more than 30 years, Balkrishna Industries Limited (BKT) has successfully focused on specialized segments such as agriculture, construction and industrial, as well as earthmoving, port and mining, ATV and landscaping operations. BKT as a company has managed to focus its attention on people and the planet ahead of business and profit, and moves naturally within certain so-called virtuous business parameters. Every year the company organises a large number of vastly different international social initiatives and supports the most vulnerable, such as children, and fundraising activities for countries hit by deforestation or by weather-related events. 

BKT also aims to put people and their wellbeing at the center through numerous sport sponsorships and related activations worldwide. BKT shares the One Team ideology and loves sport because it fully reflects its corporate philosophy: fair play, teamwork, respect, commitment and the importance of sharing. Sport is a powerful tool to act as a vehicle for positive and constructive values, and a global language of emotions, allowing a whole community to grow.

The players, who are Baskonia’s Ambassadors for the social responsibility program, surprised the girls and boys on the program by making a guest appearance at last week’s session at the Aldabe Civic Center.  

Baskonia’s One Team program is running throughout the season, working with the Gizarterako Association – the club’s social integration partner since 2013 – to deliver weekly sessions between October and May for a group of 16 children aged between 5 and 12 years old. The main topics they have worked on are respect, teamwork, efforts and motivation – using examples from basketball to learn these important day to day life skills.

The children greatly enjoyed spending time with Granger and Fontecchio, who said: “I had never been a One Team Ambassador before but I knew about the project and that it’s very important for the boys and girls. It was a pleasure to spend time with them and show them the values of basketball on and off the court.”

Granger added: “The experience is really nice, being able to see these children smiling and learning with basketball. It is very fulfilling.”

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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.

Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz stars Jayson Granger and Simone Fontecchio have been spreading some joy by spending time with the Spanish club’s One Team participants.

Granger and Fontecchio spreading joy with One Team

One Team encourages clubs to improve the lives of vulnerable young people across the continent through the power of basketball, and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens gave its One Team participants a once-in-a lifetime experience at last week’s home game against Real Madrid: the youngsters were introduced to the fans on the court during the half-time interval, and received a special presentation from EuroLeague legend and current club General Manager Dimitris Diamantidis.

Panathinaikos has been working with autistic children as part of its partnership with Special Olympics Hellas, and the club’s One Team Coach Artemis Panagi said: “Autism is not a choice, but accepting difference in others is. What if we give them wings, but society doesn’t allow them to fly? 

“I hope that everyone feels as accepted by society as these athletes felt during the closing ceremony. It was a memorable experience for them. They entered the arena like pros – they were cheered by the fans for their dedication to the program and left feeling proud of who they are!”

EuroCup team Joventut de Badalona also invited its One Team participants to watch last week’s game against Slask Wroclaw. One of the guests was 15 year-old Ayoub Cherradi, who said: “I’m having a great time. I love coming to play here every Monday. I'm learning a lot of things, because I didn't know how to play basketball and now I know the rules and how to play. We have learned to have a good attitude, to respect others, not only in basketball, but much more. We have also built relationships with our teammates.” 

Gorka del Corral, Joventut’s One Team Coach, added: “We have tried to teach them things about basketball that could also be useful to their personal life, like communication and respect. We wanted them to have fun but at the same time learn things related to basketball. It is a very nice experience, very enriching, because we teach them but they also teach us. One Team is very positive for the children but also for the club.”

PHOTO GALLERY

EuroLeague playoffs candidates AX Armani Exchange Milan and AS Monaco, along with EuroCup clubs JL Bourg and Slask, have also been welcoming One Team participants to their recent games, bringing the young people closer to their clubs and providing memories to last a lifetime.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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.

Dozens of participants in One Team, Euroleague Basketball’s social responsibility program, have been enjoying the opportunity to attend games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup in the last few weeks.

One Team participants enjoying the best of European basketball

The club has been working alongside social partner Proyecto Vivir to deliver weekly sessions every Thursday at the club’s Alqueria practice facilities for a group of 16 participants – eight boys and eight girls, aged between 13 and 17. 

With the support of Valencia stars and One Team Ambassadors Victor Claver and Jasiel Rivero, they have used the power of basketball to learn about key life skills such as determination, perseverance, sacrifice, passion, discipline, and learning how to win and lose.

Paco Pardo, Valencia’s One Team Coach, explained: “From the beginning we try to know everyone in the project – meeting them, finding out where they come from. I think it’s a really innovative activity and the most important thing they take away is experience. How you live, how you overcome situations, asking questions so they can reflect and find answers in their own way. This is very important for their stability.”

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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.

Valencia Basket has completed another successful project with One Team, Euroleague Basketball’s social responsibility program.

Valencia successfully completes One Team program

In life as on the basketball court, it is necessary to have various abilities, ranging from motor skills to emotional and relationship qualities. One of the main goals of this year's project for One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, is to introduce and develop a sense of belonging and self-knowledge for the participants, giving them a greater understanding of their capacities and possibilities.

A voyage of self-discovery with Milan's One Team program

At AX Armani Exchange Milan, the One Team program is once again involving club coaches Marilisa Zanini and Alessandro Trombin, along with Laureus Italia sports psychologist Alessandra Stella. Five classes from the Arcadia Institute middle school have joined the project, and alternate on the basketball court of their school over the course of a morning.

There will be a minimum of eight meetings during the second half of the season, in which the boys and girls will experience the game of basketball but also try to look inside themselves and gain awareness of who they are and who they want to be.

In each meeting, games, videos and activities will be used to approach a specific life skill: effective relationships, effective communication, empathy, decision making, stress management, problem-solving, creative thinking and emotional management. 

Basketball will be the common language for everyone on the court to reinforce life skills and a sense of team and community. Milan One Team Ambassadors Kyle Hines and Gigi Datome – along with teammates Nicolo Melli and Sergio Rodriguez and assistant coach Gianmarco Pozzecco – are providing video contributions as a way of delivering a concrete message to the children.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">📽🗣 <a href="https://twitter.com/OTEuroleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTEuroleague</a>: l’importanza delle relazioni efficaci secondo <a href="https://twitter.com/SirHines?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SirHines</a> e <a href="https://twitter.com/GigiDatome?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GigiDatome</a>! 🤝<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreAllOneTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreAllOneTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10oneteam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10oneteam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SirHines?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SirHines</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GigiDatome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GigiDatome</a><a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Laureus_Italia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Laureus_Italia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ScaloMilano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScaloMilano</a> <a href="https://t.co/CLf5Ftirmc">pic.twitter.com/CLf5Ftirmc</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1502268122979569674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</center>

Using the language of sport to deal with difficulties is the first way to offer mutual support and build secure and lasting relationships, especially in a team like Milan composed of players from all over the world – just as Arcadia Institute is located in Gratosoglio, a suburban neighborhood south of Milan that contains a mixture of cultural backgrounds.

Hines expressed his belief in the importance of community as he said: "To me, the team is everything. Unity and sharing a goal is very important. A group of people is more powerful than an individual."

Datome emphasized the role of each individual within team ambitions, saying: "The most important concept that I bring to everyday life is that each individual, with his own characteristics, brings his contribution to the final achievement of the goal. This happens in every team, and I think it happens in life, too."

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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 a 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 already reached, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.

As part of One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, Zalgiris Kaunas has joined forces with Special Olympics Lithuania for a 12-week program of activities that had the participants working on their communication and teamwork skills, instilling values and knowledge that will help in the future.

Zalgiris community gets involved in One Team program

In one of the final meetings, the participants had a chance to showcase what they had learned during the activities by presenting their favorite games to a group of guests: Zalgiris partner and One Team supporter Ramirent Lietuva, representatives from Vilkyskiu Pienine, the city municipality, and members of the Zalgiris organization itself.

Eligijus Baikauskas from Ramirent Lietuva, who have been supporting the project for the past five years, said: "This was supposed to be a challenge for the youngsters, but it seems that the One Team activities strengthened their self-belief so much that we didn't even notice any nervousness. Perhaps it was even us feeling more nervous than them. Having made constant visits to Zalgirio Arena for the last couple months, they felt at home here, whereas we were guests. In these meetings you can clearly see the positive impact that Zalgiris and One Team have on these participants, and it's really good to feel a part of it."

Traditionally, the final meeting of One Team's first group has been capped by a meeting with Zalgiris players, the program's ambassadors. And this year was no different, with Marek Blazevic and Niels Giffey undertaking the role, participating in games and handing out diplomas.

Program participant Pijus enthused: "It's always most fun to meet the players, to receive a diploma, take a photo. I had my dream come true here, as I met my favorite player Mantas Kalnietis in the arena, and I got his signature. I'll remember this day for a long time."

Another strong One Team involvement from Zalgiris came with the Walking Challenge that took place during the week of One Team Games in February.

The most active One Team participant was Tadas, who said: "I always walk a lot, usually 20,000 steps a day, sometimes more. I walk a lot at work. I like taking a stroll in the evening, too. I've walked Kaunas from one end to the other. I'm happy One Team is encouraging people to walk more because it improves your health."

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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.

One of the reasons for the success of One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, is the wholehearted support shown by players towards the community-based activities.

Datome, Melli and Hines highlight players' One Team role

More than 300 players have acted as One Team Ambassadors since the program's launch in 2012, with the role of players highlighted by the current involvement of three star players at AX Armani Exchange Milan.

Luigi Datome and Kyle Hines are the current One Team Ambassadors for the Italian club, while Nicolo Melli had the role with the club previously. Kyle Hines – who has been actively involved with the project from the beginning – is the One Team Global Ambassador.

Explaining why he supports One Team, Datome said: "I think it's a great program to make kids play sport, which is very important, to make them socialize. And it's a way for us to give back to the community where you are. I believe a lot in this program."

Hines explained how the power of basketball can be harnessed to effect social change, saying: "It doesn't matter if you're from a different language, culture or background, all of us can come together and use sports as a common ground to help learn life skills and important life lessons."

And Melli highlighted the simple but important idea that players can bring happiness to the participants simply by giving some of their time, saying: "There are so many different situations going on around us, plus with Covid everything got worse. So we can bring a little sparkle, a little joy."

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in 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.

One Team was launched in February of 2012, and since then, clubs throughout the continent have used the power of basketball to support thousands of vulnerable people in our communities.

Euroleague Basketball Chief Business Development Officer Roser Queralto said: "We feel enormously proud of this decade of commitment from our clubs, players, coaches, staff, partners and fans, which has allowed us to make real positive social changes in our communities. Every action they have carried out during these 10 years has been crucial in making this program a big success.

"We would especially like to thank Turkish Airlines for its essential continuous support of One Team, and greatly appreciate Special Olympics' proud partnership in this journey. We are also grateful for more recent contributions from our partners 7DAYS and BKT that are being crucial, too, for the expansion of the project."

This year's celebration includes the One Team Walking Challenge, a fun and easy way for fans to get involved while also embracing the program's key aim of promoting healthy lifestyles. [See here to find out more and join in.](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/one-team/news/get-ready-for-the-one-team-walking-challenge/?pageTitle=Homepage&historyUrl=/one-team/)

Inside arenas, this week's games in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup will feature a specially designed One Team 10th Anniversary court sticker, making the program visible to all fans during the action.

One Team Global Ambassador and four-time EuroLeague champion Kyle Hines, who has supported the program since its launch, said: "One Team is a big family. All over Europe, ambassadors, players, former players, coaches and club staff work together to give memorable and life-changing experiences to the participants, and I am very proud to have played my part in supporting the program. It will be great to highlight the successes of One Team during this year's week of celebration."

One Team 10th Anniversary hoodies and t-shirts have also been produced and will be worn by One Team Ambassadors from all 38 clubs in both competitions during the team arrivals to arenas.[ These hoodies and t-shirts are available now in the EuroLeague store,](https://www.amazon.es/stores/page/25E1069F-DA39-4A70-B0C2-FA4A492F51CE?ingress=0&visitId=b389656a-ed6d-4fd8-bce6-d6bc1e52650a) and proceeds from sales will go to support clubs with their One Team programs.

Valencia Basket forward and One Team Ambassador Jasiel Rivero said: "I'm looking forward to showing the One Team colors with pride at our game this week against Virtus Bologna. It's a great program and the work being done to support people is so important, giving a real example of how sport can make a positive difference to our communities."

The One Team program has reached more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects over the last decade, and Euroleague Basketball Legend Mirsad Turkcan said: "Congratulations to One Team for the amazing things that it is accomplishing for those most vulnerable. Every time I have participated in One Team activities, I've seen how powerful this program is."

The annual One Team Games will take place from February 8 to 11, and this year's celebration is a very special one, with a series of events planned to celebrate the program's 10th anniversary. 

One Team Games celebrate a decade of supporting communities

Ahead of the annual One Team Games celebration, which will take place between 8-11 February, fans around the continent are invited to get involved by joining a special Walking Challenge – and gain the chance of winning some great prizes!

One Team is Euroleague Basketball’s social responsibility program which sees every club in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup use the power of basketball to improve the lives of vulnerable people in our communities.

This is a special year for One Team which was launched in February 2012, and a series of events are planned to mark the ten-year anniversary.

One of them is the One Team Walking Challenge, a fun and easy way for fans to get involved while also embracing the program’s key aim of promoting healthy lifestyles. All you have to do is:

\- Download the #walk15 app during the registration period (1-7 February) [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/walk15/id1155907677) | [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.walk15.pedometer)

\- Register for the One Team Walking Challenge

\- Pick your favorite team (or One Team)

\- Walk at least 10,000 steps every day during the four days of the One Team Games (8-11 February)

Everyone who takes part in the challenge will also have a chance to win two great prizes:

\- A free EuroLeagueTV pass for the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. One winner will be selected from each team. The individual winner of each team will be the participant who achieves the most steps during the One Team Games, meeting the minimum of 10,000 steps per day. Winners will be announced on the #walk15 app on 12 February.

\- An official playing jersey for a player of your choice from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague or 7DAYS EuroCup. The winner will be randomly selected from all participants who follow One Team on Facebook (EuroleaguebasketballOneTeam) or Twitter (@OTEuroleague) and post a photo or video during the Walking Challenge, tagging #OTWalkingChallenge and EuroleaguebasketballOneTeam (on Facebook) or @OTEuroleague (on Twitter). There will be two winners in total – one for Facebook and one for Twitter.

\- For more details on the Walking Challenge, please [check the terms and conditions here](http://ftpserver.euroleague.net/general/TC_One_Team_Walking_Challenge.pdf).

One Team Ambassador and Euroleague Basketball Legend Ramunas Siskauskas is inviting all fans to get involved, saying: “It’s very important to be active to look after your physical and mental health, especially during a pandemic, so go for a hike, walk to school or work, spend some quality time by yourself or invite your friends and loved ones, take along your pets and do the One Team Walking Challenge! It doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you support, because we are all One Team.”

Siskauskas calls fans to join One Team Walking Challenge!