adidas Impact Hub

Creating Inclusive Sport Together

Since 1991, Special Olympics Germany has been advancing equal access to self-development, free choices, self-expression, and society: using sport as a catalyst for change for people with intellectual disabilities. As a recognized national federation within the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), it runs year‑round training, competitions, and education and health programs across the country. A core principle of its work is the active involvement of athletes in shaping the organization itself: athletes take on meaningful roles as speakers, advisors, vice presidents, and in many other functions, contributing to the organization just like any other colleague. Since 2023, the year Germany hosted the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, adidas and Special Olympics Germany have been partners on equal footing. Together we outfit and support Team Germany at the World Games in Berlin 2023, Turin 2025, and Santiago de Chile in 2027 as well as invest in grassroots programs that promote access to sports and sports clubs to athletes across Germany. Our aim is that more than the current 8% of people with intellectual disabilities in Germany are motivated to participate in sports and have access to it. The shared ambition is straightforward: to make sport more inclusive at every level, on equal terms for every athlete.

Powered by Our People

At the heart of this partnership is a cross functional project team of adidas employees who volunteer alongside their regular roles, working side by side with Special Olympics Germany and their athletes who shape every step. Through training camps on our campus, athlete meetups, and brand moments like the Global Week of Inclusion, employees and Special Olympics athletes spend real time together training, sharing meals, and exchanging perspectives. For many of our colleagues, these encounters are genuinely eye-opening: the athletes bring energy, insight, and a way of showing up that changes how we think about sport, performance, and what inclusion really means.

The Power of Co-Creation

The creation of the shoe was inspired by the brand’s partnership with Chris Nikic and his relentless drive to break down barriers. By involving the community at every step, from product design through to testing, and partnering with advocates who connect us with a diverse range of runners, we're ensuring adaptive performance isn't treated as an afterthought, but as part of how we design. We believe that through sports, we have the power to change lives.

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT

From local partnerships to employee volunteering, explore how we're breaking down barriers through sport. Read the stories of the people and organizations helping us on our journey.

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More Than a Partnership

It’s not just a partnership on paper. It’s driven by leadership, shaped by the project team, and brought to life by employees and athletes together. The experience is genuinely inclusive, because it is shaped on eye-level and results in both ways, celebrating every step of our journey hand in hand.

KOLISI FOUNDATION

The Kolisi Foundation was founded by Siya and Rachel Kolisi in 2020, aimed at tackling inequality in South Africa. The Foundation’s vision is to empower communities through education and sport, gender equality, and food security. In the same year, adidas and the Kolisi Foundation teamed up to break down barriers to ensure that the community of Zwide has safe, equitable access to sport.

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KEY INFO

Location:

Zwide, South Africa

adidas partner since:

2020

sport focus:

impact areas:

Impact Areas

New and refurbished infrastructure provides safe and equitable access to sport. Product donations provide the right technology needed to coach performance sports. Education through sport - helping develop healthy, active, emotionally and academically stronger children while contributing to the communities in which they live.

ACTIONS

Driving Social Change Through Education and Sport

Launched in 2022, the Siyaphakama Zwide Schools Project is a collaborative initiative dedicated to overcoming the challenges faced by township youth in Zwide, South Africa. Named after Siya Kolisi and his late mother, Phakama, “Siyaphakama” means “We are rising”. The project offers a tailored program in six Primary Schools in Zwide - focusing on academic support, physical education, nutrition, and life skills, while refurbishing the facilities at each school. It empowers children and young people to break the cycle of poverty.

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT

From local partnerships to employee volunteering, explore how we're breaking down barriers through sport. Read the stories of the people and organizations helping us on our journey.

LET’S EXERCISE, SEOUL

In Korea, since 2017, adidas has partnered with the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the ‘Let's Exercise, Seoul’ project to ensure safe and equitable access to sports for people of all genders, ages, and abilities. This initiative focuses on further improving sports facilities and creating better environments for Seoul residents to connect with each other. The Hwigyeong 2 futsal court was refurbished and celebrated through its unveiling in Nov 2025.

HWIGYEONG 2 FUTSAL COURT

The futsal court at Hwigyeong 2, located at the riverside park in Dongdaemun District, recently saw its operations temporarily suspended after heavy snowfall damaged the roof truss and supporting fences. The 2025 project focused on making the facility more resilient to severe weather conditions and flooding.

THE RE-OPENING CEREMONY

To celebrate the reopening, a special ceremony was held with the community. The event featured a futsal clinic with coaches from the long-time partner Cha Bum-kun Football Academy. Members of a local children’s futsal team also joined, along with adults from the Dongdaemun District Sports Council who have intellectual and developmental disabilities meaning they require support in sports activities. adidas employee volunteers took part to support the participants and engage directly with the community.

I am also extremely proud to share my deepest and sincerest appreciation to our employee volunteers. You have really shown how to live our mindset of Through Sports We Have The Power To Change Lives

MARKUS MORENT

- Managing Director of adidas Korea

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT

From local partnerships to employee volunteering, explore how we're breaking down barriers through sport. Read the stories of the people and organizations helping us on our journey.

adidas and Common Goal have teamed up for Move For The Planet to fund projects around the world, all with one central mission – to provide education on sustainability and adapt the infrastructure of sports facilities. Safe-Hub creates safe, inclusive spaces where young people can play, learn and thrive – using the power of sport and education to strengthen communities and build a more equitable future. The townships in this mining area of Marikana, South Africa suffer from high levels of pollution, lack access to clean drinking water and have limited recreational spaces. The organization has enabled construction of sports infrastructure with an integrated water capturing and purification system. Alongside this construction they are implementing sports-based environmental skills programs to support the vulnerable community and feed back into their economy.

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KEY INFO

Location:

BAPONG, SOUTH AFRICA

move for the planet year:

2023

sport focus:

FOOTBALL

impact areas:

CONSTRUCTION OF SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND SPORT

actions

CONSTRUCTION OF SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE

Construction of a 5-a-side football pitch with embedded rainwater collection system

Rainwater collection system, capable of producing up to 17 Million liters of clean drinking water, enough for a nearby school and 200 families

Construction of water storage units

The initiative also includes a small-scale recycling system to support sustainable Safe-Hub operations on site.

EDUCATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND SPORT

EduFootball program that integrates climate and waste-related educational activities for up to 500 young people

Integration of practical recycling activities

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT

From local partnerships to employee volunteering, explore how we're breaking down barriers through sport. Read the stories of the people and organizations helping us on our journey.

Reducing barriers for all athletes: Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive

A new chapter in adidas Running begins with Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive, adidas’ first performance running shoe designed in partnership with athletes with disabilities. Developed with input from people with disabilities, caregivers, and athletes, and inspired by adidas-sponsored athlete Chris Nikic - the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman - this shoe was created for athletes with disabilities to ensure accessibility is designed into the sport from the start.

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THE CHALLENGE

For millions of people with disabilities, access to running can feel impossible. We heard directly from athletes with disabilities that something as simple as getting into their running shoes can shape their entire experience, from confidence and comfort, to whether they feel able to take part at all. Their voices helped us identify the everyday frictions and find solutions that address real needs. As Nik Nikic, father of athlete Chris Nikic, explains: “On a scale from 1 to 10, when you think about pain tolerance that an able-bodied person would feel at an eight, at one Chris would feel the same level of pain.”

The Power of Co-Creation

The creation of the shoe was inspired by the brand’s partnership with Chris Nikic and his relentless drive to break down barriers. By involving the community at every step, from product design through to testing, and partnering with advocates who connect us with a diverse range of runners, we're ensuring adaptive performance isn't treated as an afterthought, but as part of how we design. We believe that through sports, we have the power to change lives

The Product

The Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive features a reimagined design with adaptive lacing and tactile design details that make the shoe easier to put on, adjust, and more comfortable to wear. The shoe also leverages Supernova’s proven ingredients, like a softer Dreamstrike+ midsole, to provide athletes with a superior blend of comfort and support.

DISCOVER MORE

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT

From local partnerships to employee volunteering, explore how we're breaking down barriers through sport. Read the stories of the people and organizations helping us on our journey.

fÚtbol con corazÓn

adidas and Common Goal have teamed up for Move For The Planet to fund projects around the world, all with one central mission – to provide education on sustainability and adapt the infrastructure of sports facilities. Fútbol con Corazón is passionate about football and the positive impact it can make on the lives of local youths in Colombia. The local community on the island of Tierra Bomba in Cartagena has struggled with spaces to play football on the island. Throughout the year, the organization has been able to finalize the adaptation of an open space by turning it into a football pitch, they also raised awareness throughout the community about the importance of conserving the island's spaces with the creation of in-community "environmental guardians". The implementation of a plastic repurposing machine has allowed for the local community to convert plastic waste into usable items that local community members can use and sell at a local market. The organization will continue to support similar projects throughout Colombia.

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KEY INFO

Location:

Tierra Bomba, Cartagena, Colombia

MOVE FOR THE PLANET YEAR:

2023

sport focus:

Football

impact areas:

Renewed Sports Infrastructure & Sustainable Management Processes Education on Environmental Sustainability and Sports

actions

Renewed Sports Infrastructure & Sustainable Management Processes

Converting an empty space into a usable sports field.

Creation of locker rooms at the field location that allows for community gatherings and equipment storage.

Revival of ecosystems through planting of mangroves.

Construction and adaptation of space available to community for team activities.

Provide seed capital, machinery and entrepreneurship trainings to community leaders to learn to process plastic waste as a business.

Education on Environmental Sustainability and Sports

Sport-based education sessions promoting climate action and environmental protection.

Regular environmental activities including mangrove planting and solid waste collection.

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT

From local partnerships to employee volunteering, explore how we're breaking down barriers through sport. Read the stories of the people and organizations helping us on our journey.