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!

Get ready for the One Team Walking Challenge!

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul educated its One Team participants about the importance of healthy eating with a special session last week in the Fenerbahce Beko Kitchen at the Ulker Sports and Event Hall.

Fenerbahce encourages healthy eating through One Team



Dietician Merve Gursoy and club chef Recep Desteguloglu gave tips on choosing the right food, eating well with a limited budget, meal planning, choosing the right nutrients and related topics such as the environmental impact of fast-food packaging.

After working up their hunger by talking about good food, the children were then able to prepare oatmeal and made sandwiches for themselves, under the guidance of Gursoy and Desteguloglu.

Gursoy explained that nutrition has become a more important topic than ever, saying: "Increasing consumption of highly processed foods and beverages, replacing or supplementing traditional plant-based diets, and a simultaneous decrease in physical activity, has led to a shift in traditional dietary patterns.

"Access to nutritious food has a direct impact on health. Long-term health can be maintained with many cost-effective interventions, and our workshop focused on the accessibility of healthy food for individuals from all economic groups."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Beko sosyal partnerliğinde, Ülker Spor ve Etkinlik Salonu’nda gerçekleştirdiğimiz EuroLeague One Team programının beşinci hafta teması 👇<br> <br>&#39;Problem Çözme&#39; <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreAllOneTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreAllOneTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/OTEuroleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTEuroleague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Beko?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Beko</a> <a href="https://t.co/GjuUMMzir4">pic.twitter.com/GjuUMMzir4</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1487759261346275331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </center>

The session was part of Fenerbahce’s ongoing project with TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, which uses the power of basketball to address community cohesion among at-risk youths.

The program focuses on helping the kids stay interested in sport by experiencing the different values of basketball in a fun and engaging way. It also includes sessions on health and well-being, such as this week's on healthy eating, along with several actions related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13. The program is supported by experienced Fenerbahce youth team coaches and experts from club partner Beko.


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.

After last season saw Zalgiris Kaunas's One Team activities limited to online meetings, the program of activities has finally returned to Zalgirio Arena, as the club continues its commitment and partnership with the Special Olympics Lithuania organization that unites people with learning disabilities.

One Team participants enjoying Zalgirio Arena sessions once more

The project's guidelines are set for all clubs by Euroleague Basketball, with its structure ensuring effective results across the continent. Clubs select one group from the local community and work with them over several weeks or months with regular meetings.

Zalgiris's project coordinator Akvile Dagilyte noted: "This program isn't just a one-off campaign. It's consistent work with a selected group. We purposefully work to make it easier for people with disabilities to integrate into society. We teach them communication, teamwork, stress management, concentration skills through the game of basketball. This way, the participants both learn something useful and have fun."

The opportunity to gather together in live meetings in Zalgiris's practice facility also gives additional joy and motivation to the participants.

The plan for the program is prepared by the employees of the Zalgiris organization, who have gained a lot of experience during 8 years of the club's involvement with One Team. Obviously, visits from Zalgiris players garner the most attention – this season's One Team Ambassadors for the club are Niels Giffey and Marek Blazevic, who made a visit to the first activity.

Giffey said: "Together with the youngsters we played games and relays. It's fun to give them extra attention, to bring joy, and most importantly to see smiles on their faces. I'm happy that I was invited to become an ambassador for the program – it's nice to help uplift the local community."

To vary the program, other guests are invited, including Kauno Zalgiris footballers, movement ‘630' representative Mindaugas Satkus and sports psychologist Aiste Zemaityte.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Couldn&#39;t be happier to have the <a href="https://twitter.com/OTEuroleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OTEuroleague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OneTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OneTeam</a> activities back in-person in <a href="https://twitter.com/ZalgirioArena?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZalgirioArena</a>! 🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreAllOneTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreAllOneTeam</a><br><br>Read more 📄: <a href="https://t.co/kZ55G5Im74">https://t.co/kZ55G5Im74</a> <a href="https://t.co/zMMb07d83K">pic.twitter.com/zMMb07d83K</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1475033894005223424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</center>

For the fourth consecutive year, Zalgiris's partner Ramirent Lietuva has been helping carry out the program, with its employees also taking part in the project itself. The partners order hundreds of One Team shirts that are eagerly worn by their employees. This not only connects them to the project, but also helps the dissemination of the project.

Each year partners are given the opportunity to participate in one of the final activities and take part in a form of examination led by the project's participants, showcasing what leadership, public speaking and teamwork skills they have learned along the way.

Zalgiris has been working with One Team since 2013, and won the One Team Annual Bronze Award in 2021 for the previous season's activities.

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 already reached, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.

Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program One Team is proud to support the International Day of People with Disabilities, which is being observed on Friday, December 3.

Supporting people with disabilities has always been one of the main focuses for One Team, with many clubs in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup using the power of basketball to teach life skills and help disabled people integrate into their local communities.

Clubs working in that area this season are: AS Monaco, Boulogne Metropolitans 92, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, CSKA Moscow, FC Bayern Munich, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, Promitheas Patras, Real Madrid, ratiopharm Ulm, Zalgiris Kaunas and Zenit St Petersburg.

To coincide with the international day of celebration, One Team's proud partner Special Olympics is also celebrating the 18th edition of its annual European Basketball week between November 27 and December 6. This initiative offers a week of activities where everyone in the basketball community across Europe is encouraged to expand opportunities for players with intellectual disabilities, including more than 10,000 participants in at least 30 countries.

More than 200 local or national basketball events – such as Unified Youth Basketball, 3x3 competitions, mini-basketball and women's basketball – have been planned across the continent for players with and without intellectual disabilities at all ability levels.

One event that took place on Thursday, December 2, was a webinar organized by Special Olympics, featuring a presentation on the subject of healthy relationships within basketball by Filip Sunturlic, General Manager of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, as one of the speakers.

During the last six seasons, Special Olympics has been one of Zvezda's strategic partners, both working together to complete various projects and events, including sporting activities, training sessions, Christmas events, and programs such as Learning2Play, Win2Smile, Play4Glory, IDEA Play, Run and Have Fun.

Sunturlic emphasized the importance of the partnership as he said: "Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, as we emphasize on every occasion, wants to use its strength and greatness to draw people's attention to very important things for our society. Our sport is beautiful precisely because it connects people. Our cooperation with the Special Olympics of Serbia is such that it transcends partnership relations and is based on friendship. We have been building this for years, through numerous projects and showing that there are no limits for us."

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.

Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program One Team is proud to support the International Day of People with Disabilities, which is being observed on Friday, December 3.

One Team supports International Day of People with Disabilities

Zenit St Petersburg is starting a fresh One Team journey with three new partners: the Correctional School No. 5; the Center for the Blind, and the Deaf Center.

Zenit launches new One Team project with local children

The school will be the club’s main partner, and specializes in working with children with impairments in oral and written speech. The program is aimed at uniting the children, fostering cohesion and showing how everyone is important. There will be weekly on-court sessions for between 12 and 20 participants, aged 14-17.

Each session will include surprises, starting with a special video welcome from Zenit stars and One Team Ambassadors Dmitry Kulagin and Jordan Loyd. The second session featured a visit from basketball freestyler Ilya, and the project’s psychologist Konstantin believes great progress is already being made in engaging with the participants.

“From my observations during the first session, I can say that the guys were very interested,” he said. “The situation of being together with professional coaches and teachers helped them to unite and raised their self-esteem, both individually and as members of the same class. They are more confident, and that's great. We will now observe the process of mastering the skills that the children will acquire in the process of completing assignments, and I’m sure it will definitely benefit them.”

One Team volunteer Lyudmila is also convinced the program will greatly help the participants, saying: “Recently, a lot of opinions have been shared about the modern ‘lost generation’. Everyone has the opportunity to correct the situation, like the caring people involved in the One Team project: volunteers, coaches, athletes, teachers and masters of words. Within the framework of the sessions, the guys use team tasks to develop character, overcome their fears, and show the best human qualities.”

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.

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.

One Team celebrates 10 years of real social impact in our communities

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.