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Xbox Partners with Special Olympics for the Inaugural Gaming for Inclusion Esports Tournament

kingfey

Banned

Beginning in 2014, Microsoft and Special Olympics have been working together with the goal of empowering Special Olympics athletes and Programs through technology. Then, in 2018, we kicked off a partnership with the Special Olympics USA Games by hosting the Xbox Gaming Tournament, a first in the world of competitive video gaming. Last year, in an effort to find innovative ways to support Special Olympics athletes during stay-at-home orders, we teamed up for the 2020 Special Olympics Xbox Virtual Gaming Event. Now, we’re going global with our partnership efforts with the launch of the inaugural esports experience Gaming for Inclusion presented by Microsoft.

From September 12-14, Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners will compete in Rocket League, Madden NFL 22, and Forza Motorsport 7 on Xbox for the chance to play alongside celebrity supporters of Special Olympics, including NBA superstar Jayson Tatum, NFL legend Jamaal Charles, and WWE Superstars on September 18.

This experience is the next evolution of the award-winning Xbox Virtual Gaming Event hosted in May 2020, when Special Olympics and Microsoft collaborated on a virtual esports tournament to combat the effects of loneliness and isolation brought on by the pandemic. The event won Microsoft the Corporate Community Impact Award at the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Awards presented by ESPN for using its platform and the power of sport to create meaningful social change.

Special Olympics and Microsoft are teaming up to host the inaugural Gaming for Inclusion esports experience to showcase the power of inclusion through gaming. The virtual multi-day, multi-game esports tournament will engage and connect people of all abilities from around the world.

All gaming competition will be hosted through Microsoft’s esports platform Smash.gg via a bracket-style tournament that will crown champions for each title. Spectators can live stream the events on the Xbox Twitch channel and the Special Olympics YouTube channel:

  • Sunday, September 12: Rocket League Tournament
  • Monday, September 13: Forza Motorsport 7 Tournament
  • Tuesday, September 14: Madden NFL 22 Tournament
  • Saturday, September 18: Celebrity Showcase with winners from tournaments earlier in the week
After the inaugural event, Special Olympics Programs will have training on how to set up local tournaments through Smash.gg, allowing for year-round gaming practice and competition in preparation for the next Gaming for Inclusion experience in 2022.
 
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