{"id":9038,"date":"2026-03-20T12:28:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T10:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/?p=9038"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:28:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T10:28:39","slug":"rytas-continues-a-heartwarming-tradition-sundays-game-dedicated-to-world-down-syndrome-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/news\/rytas-continues-a-heartwarming-tradition-sundays-game-dedicated-to-world-down-syndrome-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Rytas Continues a Heartwarming Tradition: Sunday\u2019s Game Dedicated to World Down Syndrome Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">This Sunday, March 22nd, <\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Rytas Vilnius<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\"> will host Lietkabelis Panev\u0117\u017eys at the Twinsbet Arena. This matchup is special for <\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Rytas<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\"> not only because of the sporting drive to settle the score for earlier losses this season in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL, sponsored by Betsson), but also because the game is specifically dedicated to commemorating World Down Syndrome Day, officially observed globally on March 21st.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Continuing a long-standing social tradition, the club invites fans to spread a message of tolerance, empathy, and diversity through sports. During the event, special attention will be given to the integration of people with Down syndrome and the reduction of social exclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">The most moving highlight of the game will take place during the halftime interval. The &#8220;Skrydis&#8221; gymnastics center will perform a special routine in the center of the arena, featuring 30 gymnasts of both typical and special development. Additionally, two students from the &#8220;Skrydis&#8221; center who have Down syndrome will take to the court with the <\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Rytas Dance Team<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\"> during a short break to perform a joint dance. This offers them a unique opportunity to be part of a major basketball celebration and gives the audience a chance to show their sincere support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">In solidarity with the global initiative, <\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Rytas<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\"> players will step onto the court wearing mismatched socks\u2014the international symbol of tolerance. Fans are also encouraged to join the campaign by arriving at the game in different socks, demonstrating that the richness of our society lies in our differences. The date itself is symbolic: March 21st (the eve of the game) represents Trisomy 21, the chromosomal arrangement that causes this syndrome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">&#8220;<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Rytas<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\"> is and wants to be more than just a basketball club. We are an open, socially responsible organization and an integral part of the city&#8217;s community, which is why promoting understanding and tolerance is so important to us. Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day in our arena has become a beautiful and highly anticipated tradition. Seeing players and fans united in wearing mismatched socks and watching the children\u2019s genuine emotions on the court\u2014these are the moments that truly bring us together. I invite everyone to come this Sunday, not only to support the team but to meaningfully mark this day together,&#8221; said Martynas Giga, General Director of <\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">Rytas Vilnius<\/span><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ng-star-inserted\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">For more information and ways to provide support, please visit \u2013 <\/span><a class=\"ng-star-inserted\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=E&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.saulytes.lt%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"ng-star-inserted\">https:\/\/www.saulytes.lt\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Sunday, March 22nd, Rytas Vilnius will host Lietkabelis Panev\u0117\u017eys at the Twinsbet Arena. This matchup is special for Rytas not only because of the sporting drive to settle the score for earlier losses this season in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL, sponsored by Betsson), but also because the game is specifically dedicated to commemorating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rytas","category-social-responsibility"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rytas Continues a Heartwarming Tradition: Sunday\u2019s Game Dedicated to World Down Syndrome Day - Vilniaus \u201eRYTAS\u201c<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/news\/rytas-continues-a-heartwarming-tradition-sundays-game-dedicated-to-world-down-syndrome-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rytas Continues a Heartwarming Tradition: Sunday\u2019s Game Dedicated to World Down Syndrome Day - Vilniaus \u201eRYTAS\u201c\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This Sunday, March 22nd, Rytas Vilnius will host Lietkabelis Panev\u0117\u017eys at the Twinsbet Arena. This matchup is special for Rytas not only because of the sporting drive to settle the score for earlier losses this season in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL, sponsored by Betsson), but also because the game is specifically dedicated to commemorating [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/news\/rytas-continues-a-heartwarming-tradition-sundays-game-dedicated-to-world-down-syndrome-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vilniaus \u201eRYTAS\u201c\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-20T10:28:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/WEB-TAA.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/news\/rytas-continues-a-heartwarming-tradition-sundays-game-dedicated-to-world-down-syndrome-day\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rytasvilnius.lt\/en\/news\/rytas-continues-a-heartwarming-tradition-sundays-game-dedicated-to-world-down-syndrome-day\/\",\"name\":\"Rytas Continues a Heartwarming Tradition: Sunday\u2019s Game Dedicated to World Down Syndrome Day - 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