TITLE: PlayUnified for an inclusive (sport) world

Sport is for everyone. No matter what or under what circumstances everyone should be able to sport on his or her own level. This serie shows how a Dutch swimmer with Down Syndrome challenged a professional international well known Dutch swimmer.

AUTHOR: Rachelle Cornelissen-Wenting (Netherlands)


My name is Rachelle By Rachelle Fotografie, and I use photography as a way to tell meaningful stories.
Since 2010 I work as a volunteer for the Special Olympics Netherlands. As Team NL photographer I travel with the team across the globe to capture them while joining the world games both in the summer as in the winter.
Besides that, in the Netherlands I photograph the PlayUnified campaign where all sporters came together to learn from each other.

Recently, I started focusing on capturing women during their journey through illness. What began as an effort to highlight their strength turned out to be, for many, a powerful step toward accepting their changed bodies.

I believe that beauty is not defined by circumstances, but revealed when someone dares to be seen as they are. Through my lens, I aim to capture that strength, vulnerability, and resilience — and share it with the world.