WSU will hold its first Unified Sports Field Day from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at Smith Gym.

The event will be free, and those who want to volunteer can contact Corrie McGrath at [email protected] or (509) 335-8832.

Melanie Rossetti, coordinator of competitive sports and youth programs at University Recreation, said there would be various activities including a soccer game, team relays, as well as dive-and-dunk.

Rossetti said Unified Sports encourages those with or without intellectual disabilities to play alongside each other. Many colleges and universities across the country have started Unified Sports programs on their own campuses, she said.

Rossetti said a newly formed unified sports committee will work with groups like WSU ROAR. The committee is composed of faculty and staff from the sport management department and UREC.

“We saw these opportunities and wanted to provide a way for athletes and students to work together,” Rossetti said.

She said they want to know what kind of activities the community is interested in and to decide if an intramural league for Unified Sports is something people would want.

Unified Sports aims to promote social inclusion through sports training and competition and is a program under Special Olympics, according to their website.

The unified sports committee reached out to athletes who already participate in Special Olympics teams in the Palouse, she said.

“We’re hoping to bring a unified sports team to the WSU community,” Rossetti said. “[We] want to make sure we’re providing participants with different opportunities they want to have.”