Special Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Special Olympics

Founded	July 20, 1968; 57 years ago (1968-07-20)
Founder	Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Location	1133 19th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., U.S. 20036
Origins	Camp Shriver
Region served	International
Official language	English and the host country's official language when necessary
Key people	Timothy Shriver (chairman of the board) David S Evangelista (president and CEO) William P. Alford (lead director & vice chair) Angelo Moratti (vice chair) Loretta Claiborne (vice chair)

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It offers year-round training and activities to millions of participants and their teammates in 172 countries. Special Olympics believes in the power of sports to bring people together and celebrate everyone's abilities.

Competitions happen daily all over the world. These include local, national, and regional events, adding up to over 100,000 events each year. The Special Olympics organization is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. However, its World Games are held separately from the Olympic Games.

The Special Olympics World Games are big events organized by the Special Olympics committee. These games usually switch between summer and winter sports every two years. They happen every fourth year for each type of game. The very first games took place on July 20, 1968, in Chicago, United States. About 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada participated. At these first games, Eunice Kennedy Shriver announced the start of the Special Olympics organization.

More countries joined in later games. In 2003, the first Summer Games held outside the United States were in Dublin, Ireland. They welcomed 7,000 athletes from 150 countries. The most recent Summer Games were held in Berlin, Germany, from June 16 to 25, 2023.

The first World Winter Games were held in 1977 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, U.S. Austria hosted the first Winter Games outside the United States in 1993. The most recent Special Olympics World Winter Games were held in Turino, Italy from March 8 to March 15, 2025.

The Story of Special Olympics

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is featured on the 1995 Special Olympics World Games silver dollar.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was the sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, had a strong belief. She thought that people with intellectual disabilities could live happy and meaningful lives. Eunice started the Special Olympics to help change how people viewed those with intellectual disabilities.

In June 1963, Eunice Kennedy Shriver began a summer camp. It was called Camp Shriver and was for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. She held it at her home in Potomac, Maryland. The camp aimed to give these children more chances to join organized sports. Using Camp Shriver as an example, Eunice promoted the idea of physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities. Camp Shriver became an annual event, and her foundation helped other places start similar camps.

Eunice was also inspired by her sister, Rosemary, who had intellectual disabilities. Eunice saw the great potential and joy that people with intellectual disabilities had. She wanted to create a world where everyone could compete and come together.

In 1958, Dr. James N. Oliver in England showed that physical exercise helped children with intellectual disabilities. It had positive effects in the classroom too. Later, in 1964, Dr. Frank Hayden, a Canadian professor, also proved this. He believed that sports would benefit all parts of an athlete's life. Dr. Hayden helped start one of the first public sports programs for people with intellectual disabilities.

The first Special Olympics games took place on July 20, 1968, in Chicago. About 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada participated. At these games, Eunice Kennedy Shriver announced the official start of Special Olympics. She said that more games would be held every two years.

In 1971, the U.S. Olympic Committee allowed Special Olympics to use the name "Olympics." By 1972, ten nations sent athletes to the games. The first World Winter Games were held in 1977 in Colorado, U.S. In 1988, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized Special Olympics. The first World Games held outside the U.S. were the Winter Games in Austria in 1993.

In 1997, the Healthy Athletes program began. It offered health information and screenings to athletes worldwide. By 2010, this program had helped over 1 million people with intellectual disabilities.

The crowd at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games Opening Ceremonies in Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland

The 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games were held in Dublin, Ireland. This was the first time the Summer Games were held outside the United States. About 7,000 athletes from 150 countries competed. These games helped change how people around the world viewed the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities.

In 2004, a law called the "Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act" was signed. This law helped provide funding for programs like Healthy Athletes and worldwide expansion. In 2018, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Special Olympics launched a new mission. It was called the "Inclusion Revolution." This mission encourages everyone to embrace inclusion for all abilities.

Special Olympics Symbols

The Special Olympics logo is inspired by a sculpture called "Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World." This sculpture was created by Zurab Tsereteli. The logo shows an abstract human shape that looks like it's moving and active. It represents growth, confidence, and joy for children and adults with disabilities.

In 2018, the Chicago Park District honored Special Olympics. They dedicated the "Eternal Flame of Hope." This tall sculpture stands near Soldier Field, where the first games were held 50 years earlier. The Flame of Hope is also the name of the torch carried to Special Olympics games. It is lit at the opening ceremonies to mark the start of the events.

Where the World Games Have Been Held

The Special Olympics World Games have traveled to many cities around the globe. Here is a list of the host cities for both Summer and Winter Games:

Special Olympics World Games hosts

Year	Summer Special Olympics World Games			Winter Special Olympics World Games
	No.	Host	Date(s)	No.	Host	Date(s)
1968	1	Chicago, United States	July 20 – August 3
1970	2	Chicago, United States	August 13–15
1972	3	Los Angeles, United States	August 13–18
1975	4	Mount Pleasant, United States	August 8–13
1977				1	Steamboat Springs, United States	February 5–11
1979	5	Brockport, United States	August 8–13
1981				2	Smugglers' Notch and Stowe, United States	March 8–13
1983	6	Baton Rouge, United States	July 12–18
1985				3	Park City, United States	March 24–29
1987	7	Notre Dame and South Bend, United States	July 31 – August 1
1989				4	Lake Tahoe and Reno, United States	April 1–8
1991	8	Minneapolis and Saint Paul, United States	July 19–27
1993				5	Salzburg and Schladming, Austria	March 20–27
1995	9	New Haven, United States	July 1–9
1997				6	Collingwood and Toronto, Canada	February 1–8
1999	10	Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh, United States	June 26 – July 4
2001				7	Anchorage, United States	March 4–11
2003	11	Dublin, Ireland	June 21–29
2005				8	Nagano, Japan	February 26 – March 4
2007	12	Shanghai, China	October 2–11
2009				9	Boise, United States(1)	February 6–13
2011	13	Athens, Greece	June 25 – July 4
2013				10	Pyeongchang, South Korea	January 29 – February 5
2015	14	Los Angeles, United States	July 25 – August 2
2017				11	Graz and Schladming, Austria	March 14–25
2019	15	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	March 14–21
2022				-	Kazan, Russia	cancelled(2)
2023	16	Berlin, Germany	June 17–25
2025				12	Turin-Piedmont, Italy	March 8–15
2027	17	Santiago, Chile	October 12–24
2029				13	Zürich-Graubünden, Switzerland

¹ Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was first chosen to host the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. However, due to money problems and delays in fixing old venues, the city could not host. Boise, Idaho, then hosted the event instead.

² The 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games were planned for Sweden. But the Swedish Paralympic Committee could not provide the needed money. This caused the event to be delayed. Later, Kazan, Russia, was announced as the host for 2022. However, the Kazan games were cancelled due to safety and other concerns.

Special Olympics Around the World

Special Olympics has programs in 204 countries and territories. These are organized into seven main regions. Some national programs use their local language names instead of English.

Joining the Special Olympics Family

Special Olympics programs are free for all athletes. Over 5.7 million athletes and Unified Sports partners take part in training and competitions. The organization offers year-round training in 32 Olympic-style sports.

Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017 reception in Vienna, Austria

People with intellectual disabilities are encouraged to join Special Olympics. Physical activity helps improve heart health and manage weight. It also brings many emotional benefits. Athletes gain self-confidence, social skills, and higher self-esteem. Exercise can also help reduce feelings of worry.

To join Special Olympics, a person must be at least 8 years old. They need to be identified as having intellectual disabilities or similar learning challenges. For younger children aged 2–7, there is the Young Athletes program. This program helps children develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination through fun games. Parents often see their children improve social skills and confidence.

Families can also get involved with Special Olympics. Family members support their athletes by attending events or volunteering. Their involvement helps boost the athlete's self-esteem. They become a constant source of encouragement.

Volunteers and supporters are very important to Special Olympics. Millions of people around the world help with the programs. Some are sponsors or donors. Many others are coaches, event volunteers, and fans.

Coaches help athletes do their best, no matter their ability. Special Olympics trains coaches through special programs. Volunteers often make lifelong friends and find great rewards.

One exciting event is the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Police officers and other law enforcement personnel raise money and awareness for Special Olympics. Before a competition, officers carry the "Flame of Hope" torch. They run along a route to the opening ceremonies. Then, they pass the torch to a Special Olympics athlete. Together, they light the cauldron, starting the games.

The Special Olympics athlete's oath was first said by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968. It is: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Sports You Can Play

In 1968, the first official sports were track and field, swimming, and floor hockey. Since then, the list of sports has grown a lot. Special Olympics now offers more than 30 Olympic-type sports. These provide great training and competition chances for people with intellectual disabilities.

As of 2016, some of the sports offered include:

Other programs include the Motor Activity Training Program and beach volleyball. The sports available can change based on where you are and the time of year.

A special part of Special Olympics is that athletes of all skill levels can join. Competitions are set up so athletes compete with others who have similar abilities. This makes the games fair for everyone. An athlete's ability, age, and gender help decide which group they compete in.

At competitions, the top three athletes in each event receive medals. Athletes who finish from fourth to eighth place receive ribbons.

Unified Sports: Playing Together

Special Olympics created a program called Unified Sports. This program brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities as teammates. The main idea is that training and playing together can build friendships and understanding. This program has grown worldwide, with over 1.4 million people participating.

The goal of Unified Sports is to break down stereotypes. It helps people understand and accept those with intellectual disabilities. It promotes unity among all players.

Building on this, Special Olympics launched "The Revolution Is Inclusion." This campaign asks people worldwide to sign a pledge for inclusion. It celebrates all abilities and began during Special Olympics' 50th anniversary.

Studies have shown that Unified Sports helps change attitudes. One partner said, "I used to laugh at these people, now I will tell anybody to stop laughing." Unified Sports also helps build self-esteem and confidence in athletes with intellectual disabilities. It improves understanding among their non-disabled friends.

Special Olympics also has Unified Robotics. This program pairs Special Olympics students with other students to build robots. It helps Special Olympics students learn new technology skills. Unified Arts programs also promote inclusion through music, photography, art, and gardening.

Staying Healthy with Special Olympics

As Special Olympics grew, staff and volunteers noticed something important. Many athletes had untreated health problems. In 1997, Special Olympics started the Healthy Athletes program. This program offers free health screenings to athletes who need them.

Healthy Athletes offers screenings in eight areas:

• Fit Feet (for foot health)
• FUNfitness (physical therapy)
• Health Promotion (for overall well-being)
• Healthy Hearing (for hearing)
• MedFest (sports physical exam)
• Opening Eyes (for vision)
• Special Smiles (for dental health)
• Strong Minds (for emotional health)

These screenings teach athletes about health. They also find problems that might need more care. For example, FUNfitness checks flexibility, strength, and balance. After the check, a physical therapist gives advice to improve fitness.

Since it began, Healthy Athletes has become the largest global public health organization for people with intellectual disabilities. Over 1.9 million health screenings have been done worldwide.

The Special Olympics health program works with important partners. For example, the Hear the World Foundation screened over 1,000 athletes at a recent Winter Games. More than 200 of them were found to have hearing loss.

In 2012, the Healthy Communities initiative started in several countries and U.S. states. Its goal is to improve the health and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities. This helps them reach their full potential in life.

See also

In Spanish: Special Olympics para niños

• Paralympics
• Deaflympics
• Flame of Hope
• Healthy Athletes
• Special Hockey