“It is still difficult to find places where people with and without intellectual disabilities work on a completely equal footing,” admits Cinta Gomez, partner of Special Olympics Spain Unified. “But through Uniform Sports® We’ve found a way to make this possible.
The story of Special Olympics basketball player Andrea Ballista Casteltorte and her partner Cinta Gomes is featured in the exciting film. Sports Heritage Serieswhere they look at their performance in Berlin 2023 And to reflect on the transformative impact the Special Olympics World Games have had on their lives.
“Playing as part of a united team has changed me.”
“Winning gold was not the goal. We prepared to be a team and enjoy playing Unified,” Senta said. “In the end, the gold was the reward for the journey we have been on together since we met.”
Andrea added: “Playing as part of a united team has changed me as well as the other players. On and off the field, how we communicate with each other so that they (individuals with intellectual disabilities) see us as normal people.
He added: “It was not easy (to win gold), but I felt happy. Success was an explosion of joy. We celebrated as a team.”
For Andrea, who lives in Barcelona and works as an administrative assistant at the Foment Formacio educational foundation, playing on a unified team in Berlin made her experience even more enjoyable, and the gold medal was the cherry on top.
The unified sports team consists of players with and without intellectual disabilities. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a highway to friendship and understanding.
Photography by Brian Gresham
“It’s about removing labels.”
“You see them (the players and unified partners) fighting, they’re warriors. They’re doing their best. It’s great to see,” says Andrea’s mother Miriam.
Her father, Louis, adds: “Andrea has been on a journey that has not been easy. Basketball is vocational training that then helps her in her daily life on a professional and personal level. It has helped her achieve goals that a few years ago might have seemed unimaginable.
Unified sports “ultimately is about removing labels. We are a team,” said Ana Bames, a basketball coach at Special Olympics Spain.
Andrea first started playing basketball in elementary school while living in Madrid, when she joined the Virgen de Mirasierra team. Upon moving to Barcelona in 2012, she began competing for the AcidH-Lluïsos de Gracia team, which she represented in several tournaments.
Andrea, who plays as a guard or as a forward, considers her experience at Pau Gasol’s academy since 2016 to be one of the best experiences of her life, not only to meet an NBA legend, but also to significantly improve her technique and learn how to play. Either individually or as a team.
The World Games in Berlin continued her journey that began in the 2019 edition in Abu Dhabi, where she “had a very special experience as a person and as an athlete.” It was a very difficult competition as well, highlighting the relationship with other countries and the atmosphere of friendship that prevails in the Spanish national team.
The 26-year-old describes herself as a “fighter, team player and a good shooter.”
