Eighteen Special Olympics athletes stepped onto the historic parquet floor at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on Saturday, October 31, joining former NBA players Randy Foye and Pat Garrity alongside members of Athletica Vaticana for an afternoon basketball session focused on integration, Vatican News reported. The event formed part of the Eternal City Tip-Off initiative leading into the opening NCAA college basketball games in the Italian capital.

The sports gathering directly followed morning meetings at the Vatican, where Leone XIV welcomed delegations from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame. Vatican News noted that he spoke to thousands of students, faculty, and alumni in Paul VI Audience Hall about sports serving as a concrete tool for unity and cooperation. Special Olympics representatives had previously met in official audience with Leone XIV on September 19, presenting testimony on sports breaking down barriers.

NBA Veterans and Vatican Athletes Join the Roster

On the court at the PalaEur, the training session brought together professional experience and grassroots inclusion. Randy Foye, an alumnus of Villanova University, and Pat Garrity, an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, worked alongside coach Jim O’Connor to run drills, share shooting techniques, and provide mentorship. Carlo D’Amico coordinated the Special Olympics participants, which included athletes with Down syndrome and autism, according to reporting from Ameve.eu.

The roster also featured three representatives from Athletica Vaticana—Luca Goretti, Emanuele Olivieri, and Daniele Tambari—who wore the organization’s yellow-and-white shirts to provide technical and human support on the hardwood. Organizers emphasized that the afternoon bypassed traditional competitive scoring structures, treating the session as a shared life experience designed to dismantle social prejudices.

NCAA Opening Matches and PalaEur Halftime Testimony

The inclusive basketball initiative served as a prelude to the competitive NCAA opening matches held on Sunday, November 1, at the PalaEur, featuring men’s and women’s teams from Villanova and Notre Dame. During the halftime intermission of Sunday’s collegiate matchups, the Special Olympics athletes returned to the arena floor alongside their Athletica Vaticana teammates to share personal testimonials about sports as a vehicle for human development and mutual respect.

While the collegiate teams competed on Sunday, the parallel message from the Vatican and participating sports associations centered on dignity, human integration, and the principle that organized athletics must remain open to participants of all abilities without exception.