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August 9, 2024
The inaugural Genuine World Cup 2024 (GWC) concluded on August 3 in Houston, Texas in the United States, raising awareness for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and autism. GWC offers an opportunity for the three host countries of the FIFA World Cup to experience the values of ‘genuine soccer’ through a 12-team tournament featuring athletes with intellectual or neurological differences. On Saturday, Barcelona lifted the trophy over Portugal.
In 2017, Spanish sports club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, organized the Champions Genuine, an international soccer tournament for people with intellectual disabilities. In the same year LALIGA Genuine was born, the first official soccer league in the world consisting of teams of people with intellectual disabilities, organized through the LALIGA Foundation. The GWC is the league’s inaugural event.
According to figures from the FA, 108,800 people with disabilities take part in soccer regularly each year. “Soccer has been defined as the ‘international language,’ having the ability to bring people together through sport, health and a sense of belonging. However, for people with intellectual or neurological differences, soccer is often a language from which they are excluded,” states the tournament’s website. “By moving beyond spectatorship to active engagement, athletes with intellectual and neurological differences become stronger, healthier, and more self-assured, allowing them to engage more confidently in their broader communities.”
GWC promotes diversity and inclusion through soccer by bringing together teams from different parts of the world to compete on a global platform. In this first edition, teams from Portugal, the US, Mexico and Spain took part, highlighting the unity that sport can bring between different cultures.
The Final Stage matches were held at Shell Energy Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Houston Dynamo FC. The tournament included inclusive soccer matches as well as roundtable sessions and a networking space that took place on August 2. The event, ‘Genuine Connect’, was hosted by Rice University and brought together organizations to highlight current initiatives and address key challenges facing the sector in promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and autism in society. Panel topics included eliminating barriers to equal access to benefit people with IDD and autism, promoting career development and independence and using sport and fitness as a tool for inclusion.
“Hosting the Genuine Connect event aligns perfectly with our mission to create an environment where everyone can thrive. We believe that by working together, we can break down the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in all aspects of life, including sports,” said Rice University President Reginald DesRoches.
The 2024 GWC included Houston Dynamo FC, Inter Miami and Special Olympics Texas from the US; Club Tigres, Querétaro FC and Mexico DI National Team from Mexico; Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benfica from Portugal; and Athletic Club Fundazioa, Fundació Barça, Valencia CF and Nàstic de Tarragona from Spain.
Photos: Genuine World Cup
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