Special Olympics im BASF Tennisclub e.V.

At the beginning of April, the Special Olympics (SO) Rhineland-Palatinate, the sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities, held a double weekend on five indoor courts at BASF TC Ludwigshafen. The host tennis club was involved as a cooperation partner. A total of 54 participants from all over Germany came to the Palatinate for two days. They played in unified doubles teams, each with one athlete with a disability and one partner without a disability as a team. 24 athletes with a mental disability either brought their permanent doubles partners or played with members of the BASF TC. The matches were played for time and without tournament scoring. Nevertheless, everyone was enthusiastic and played some great rallies. Due to the tight schedule, each participant was on the court for a total of more than five hours. But there was also plenty of opportunity to eat together and chat. The strict hygiene concept with 2G and a daily negative test ensured the greatest possible safety for all participants.
The event was framed by the opening and closing ceremonies. There were no rankings, but everyone was a winner! SO Managing Director Dietmar Thubeauville and BASF TC President Frank Stauder were full of praise for the performances shown at the closing awards ceremony. SO Vice President Margit Trübenbach and SO Tennis Coordinator and Coach at BASF TC Claus Majolk had organized and managed the weekend well. Most of the participating athletes will see each other again in June at the Special Olympics National Games in Berlin. The next, then fifth, edition of the unified doubles weekend is firmly planned for the beginning of 2023.