Unified
Unified Program at Western
Play together. Build connections. Celebrate inclusion.
Western Campus Recreation's Unified Sports program brings Western students and athletes with intellectual disabilities together through sport, creating opportunities for participation, teamwork, friendship and fun.
In partnership with Special Olympics, Unified Sports provides an inclusive, welcoming environment where participants of different abilities play alongside one another as teammates. The program focuses on building connections, developing skills and creating a sense of belonging through shared sport experiences.
Unified is a recreational program open to Western students and Special Olympics athletes of all skill levels. Whether you're an experienced athlete or trying the sport for the first time, everyone is welcome!
Program Details
Who: Western students and Special Olympics athletes of all abilities.
What: Western Unified program. Part of the Western Intramural program.
When: Our Intramural sessions run every Sunday from 11am-12:30pm in the WSRC. There is a $40 registration fee for Special Olympics athletes, while registration is free for Western students.
Western student registration: https://shop.westernmustangs.ca/Program/GetProgramDetails?courseId=a75c8d46-0513-48ce-8a8d-40f9f75d4307&semesterId=8f9162c0-64b5-45c3-a3e1-d395f1f65656
Special Olympic athlete registration: https://shop.westernmustangs.ca/Program/GetProgramDetails?courseId=973a48d4-3ec0-4103-9a86-9ea69b6fb468
Why Participate?
Unified Sports offers an opportunity to stay active, meet new people and contribute to a more inclusive campus community. Participants can develop teamwork and leadership skills, build friendships and enjoy the benefits of recreational sport in a supportive environment.
Get Involved!
Western students interested in participating in Unified Sports are encouraged to join a session and experience the program firsthand. No previous basketball experience is necessary.
For more information about Unified Sports and how to participate, contact Western Campus Recreation at campusrec@uwo.ca.
What are Unified Sports?
A Special Olympics initiative designed to create inclusion by combining people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Our Unified program is one of the longest-running in Canada and combines Western students and Special Olympics London athletes. It's a low-stakes social environment where we play basketball every Sunday. No skill level required, come ready with running shoes and be ready to make new friends and have fun!
History of the Program:
The Unified Intramural program at Western combines people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. The Western program was introduced in 2018 as a one-day basketball tournament by Jenna Smith. The event was a success and we launched our first intramural program in January of 2019.
Later in 2019, the Western Unified team competed in the Special Olympics International Youth Games which was hosted at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). The event brought together over 2,500 athletes and coaches featuring traditional and unified teams in athletics, basketball, bocce, floor hockey and soccer. Western placed 3rd in the Unified basketball competition and had the opportunity to compete against McMaster, University of Toronto, Mohawk, Ontario Tech and Humber College.
We have partnerships with the varsity basketball teams, University Student Council’s club community and the London Law Enforcement Torch Run. Since 2022, Western Unified has regularly participated in mini-half-time games during the Mustangs varsity home games, competed in a collegiate tournament at Humber College, and continue to proudly host the Law Enforcement Torch Run in our annual end of year match-up.
Most recently, the Western Unified program hosted our first-ever “Try Unified” Sports Day in October 2026 at Althouse College. The event brought together over 30 Western students and Special Olympics London athletes as they cycled through various sports, activities and team-bonding exercises. Friendships were especially formed during our spontaneous concert and dance party during the lunch interval. The event served as a way to promote Unified Sports throughout the Western community and boost participation in our intramural programming.
We also support ongoing research in collaboration with the University of Toronto as they look to examine relationship-building and coaching philosophies within our Unified Intramural programming. As the longest-running Unified Intramural program in Canada, our collaboration with U of T aims to use our program as a model for which other Canadian universities can adapt and implement for themselves.
Related articles:
Bringing People Together Through Sport: Western Hosts First-Ever Try Unified Sports Day (October 22, 2026): https://westernmustangs.ca/news/2026/10/22/campus-recreation-bringing-people-together-through-sport-western-hosts-first-ever-try-unified-sports-day.aspx
Western is changing the game through belonging (July 29, 2025): https://news.westernu.ca/2025/07/western-unified-basketball-program/
Lighting the Torch (June 11, 2024) https://westernmustangs.ca/news/2024/6/11/communications-and-media-relations-lighting-the-torch-for-western-unified-basketball.aspx
Special Olympics Tournament Update (May 19, 2019) https://www.uwo.ca/campusrec/news/2019/Special%20Olympics%20Provincial%20Competition.html
