Special Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Special Olympics

Founded	July 20, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-07-20)
Founder	Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Location	1133 19th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., U.S. 20036
Origins	Camp Shriver
Area served	International
Official language	English and the host country's official language when necessary
Key people	Timothy Shriver (Chairman of the Board) Mary Davis (Chief Executive Officer) William P. Alford (Lead Director & Vice Chair) Angelo Moratti (Vice Chair) Loretta Claiborne (Vice Chair)

Special Olympics is the world's biggest sports group for kids and adults with intellectual disabilities. It offers training and activities all year round. About 5 million people in 172 countries take part.

Special Olympics holds over 100,000 events each year. These include local, national, and regional competitions. The International Olympic Committee recognizes Special Olympics. However, its World Games are not held at the same time as the Olympic Games.

The Special Olympics World Games are huge events. They happen every two years, switching between summer and winter sports. The first Summer Games were on July 20, 1968, in Chicago, USA. About 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada joined. At these games, Eunice Kennedy Shriver announced the start of the Special Olympics organization.

More countries joined in later games. In 2003, the Summer Games were held outside the U.S. for the first time. They took place in Dublin, Ireland, with 7,000 athletes from 150 countries. The most recent Summer Games were in Berlin, Germany, from June 16 to 25, 2023.

The first World Winter Games were in 1977 in Steamboat Springs, USA. Austria hosted the first Winter Games outside the U.S. in 1993. The most recent Winter Games were in Graz, Schladming, and Ramsau, Austria, in March 2017.

How Special Olympics Started

Eunice Kennedy Shriver believed that people with intellectual disabilities could live happy and meaningful lives. Her sister, Rosemary, had intellectual disabilities. Eunice wanted to change how people thought about those with intellectual disabilities.

In June 1963, Eunice started a day camp called Camp Shriver. It was for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. She held it at her home in Potomac, Maryland. The camp aimed to give these children a chance to play sports. Before this, they had very few chances to join organized sports.

Camp Shriver became a yearly event. The Kennedy Foundation gave money to universities and community centers. This helped them hold similar camps.

In the 1960s, Eunice wrote an article in the Saturday Evening Post. She shared that her sister, Rosemary, had intellectual disabilities. This open article helped change public views about people with intellectual disabilities.

Important People and Ideas

In 1958, Dr. James N. Oliver from England did important research. He showed that physical exercise helped children with intellectual disabilities. These benefits also helped them in school. Dr. Oliver was a helper for Camp Shriver in 1964.

Dr. Frank Hayden, a Canadian professor, also did research in 1964. He showed that people with intellectual disabilities should do physical exercise. He believed this would help them in all parts of their lives. Hayden started one of the first public sports programs for people with intellectual disabilities. It was floor hockey in 1968.

Hayden also thought of having national games. His ideas caught the attention of the Kennedy Foundation. He shared his plans for national games while working for the foundation.

The First Games and Growth

The first Special Olympics games were on July 20, 1968, in Soldier Field in Chicago. About 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada joined. This one-day event was a team effort by the Kennedy Foundation and the Chicago Park District.

Anne McGlone Burke, a physical education teacher, first had the idea for a city-wide sports event. She asked the Kennedy Foundation for help in 1967. Eunice Kennedy Shriver encouraged her to make it bigger. The foundation gave $25,000 to help.

At the 1968 games, Eunice Kennedy Shriver announced the start of Special Olympics. She said more games would be held every two years.

In 1971, the U.S. Olympic Committee allowed Special Olympics to use the name "Olympics." France sent athletes to the second games in 1970. By the third games in 1972, 10 nations sent athletes.

The United Nations named 1986 the year of the Special Olympics. In 1988, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized Special Olympics. The first World Games outside the U.S. were the winter games in 1993 in Austria.

In 1997, the Healthy Athletes program started. It gives health information and check-ups to Special Olympics athletes. By 2010, this program had given free health checks to 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 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 in 18 sports. The opening and closing ceremonies were shown live on TV for the first time. These games greatly changed how people around the world viewed people with intellectual disabilities.

In 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush signed a law to fund Special Olympics programs. These included Healthy Athletes and education programs. In 2006, the first Special Olympics USA Games were held. Teams from all 50 states joined.

In 2016, Mary Davis became the first CEO from outside the U.S. In 2018, Special Olympics celebrated its 50th anniversary. They launched a new goal called the "Inclusion Revolution."

Special Olympics Symbols

The Special Olympics logo comes from a sculpture called "Joy and Happiness to All the Children of the World." It was made by Zurab Tsereteli. The logo shows a simple human shape. It means movement and activity. It is a symbol of growth, confidence, and joy for people with disabilities.

In 2018, the Chicago Park District honored Special Olympics. They put up the "Eternal Flame of Hope." This 30 foot (9.1 m) sculpture stands near Soldier Field. This is where the first games were held 50 years earlier.

The Flame of Hope is the name of the torch. It is carried to and lit at Special Olympics games.

Special Olympics World Games Hosts

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	January 29 – February 9
2027	17	Santiago, Chile	August 18-30
2029				13	Zürich-Graubünden, Switzerland

¹ Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was supposed to host the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. But due to money problems, the city could not host. So, Boise, Idaho, was chosen instead.

² Åre and Östersund, Sweden, were planned to host the 2021 World Winter Games. But Sweden's Paralympic Committee stopped the funding. Special Olympics had to delay the event. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Kazan, Russia, was announced as the host for 2023. But on March 4, 2022, the Kazan games were canceled. This was due to safety and money worries from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Countries Involved in Special Olympics

As of May 2023, Special Olympics has programs in 204 countries and territories. These are grouped into seven main areas. Some countries use their local language names for legal reasons.

Joining Special Olympics

Special Olympics programs are free for athletes. Over 5.7 million athletes and Unified Sports partners are part of Special Olympics. They train and compete in 32 Olympic-style sports all year. These include both summer and winter sports.

Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017 reception Vienna, Austria

People with intellectual disabilities are encouraged to join. Physical activity helps them stay healthy. It lowers risks of heart disease and obesity. They also gain confidence and social skills. Exercise can also help lower worry for people with intellectual disabilities.

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 kids (ages 2–7), there is a Young Athletes program. This program helps them develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination through play. Parents say their children also learn better social skills.

Families can also get involved. They can support their athletes by attending events or volunteering. This helps boost the athlete's self-esteem.

Volunteers and supporters are very important. Millions of people around the world help. 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 feel great rewards.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run

One big event for families and volunteers is the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Police officers, sheriffs, and other law enforcement staff take part. They raise awareness and money for Special Olympics.

Before a Special Olympics competition, officers carry the torch. They run along a planned route across the state or country. They bring the torch to the opening ceremonies of the games. Then, they pass the torch to a Special Olympics athlete. Together, they run to the cauldron and light it. This starts 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 Offered

In 1968, the first official sports were track and field, swimming, and floor hockey. The list of sports has grown a lot since then.

Special Olympics offers over 30 Olympic-style sports. These give great training and competition chances for people with intellectual disabilities. As of 2016^[update], some of these sports are:

Other programs include Motor Activity Training and beach volleyball. Sports available can change based on where you are and the season.

A key difference in Special Olympics is that athletes of all skill levels can join. Competitions are set up so athletes compete with others of similar ability. This makes the games fair. An athlete's skill is the main factor in grouping them. Age and gender are also important.

At competitions, medals are given for first, second, and third place. Ribbons are given for fourth through eighth place.

Unified Sports: Playing Together

Special Olympics created something called Unified Sports. This brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities as teammates. The idea is that training and playing together can build friendships and understanding. Over 1.4 million people worldwide now play Special Olympics Unified Sports. The goal is to break down old ideas about people with intellectual disabilities. It also helps promote unity.

Building on this, Special Olympics launched "The Revolution Is Inclusion." This campaign asks people to sign an Inclusion Pledge. It celebrates all abilities.

A study in Europe showed the benefits of Unified Sports. It changed how people felt about those with intellectual disabilities. One partner said, "I used to laugh at these people. Now I will tell anybody to stop laughing." Unified Sports also helps build confidence in athletes with intellectual disabilities. It helps others understand and accept them.

As part of its 50th anniversary, Special Olympics created the first Unified Cup. The first competition was a soccer tournament. It had 440 athletes from 24 countries.

Unified Robotics is another program. It pairs Special Olympics students with FIRST Robotics students. They work together to build robots. This gives Special Olympics students chances to learn tech skills.

Healthy Athletes: Staying Well

As Special Olympics grew, people noticed that athletes often had untreated health problems. In 1997, Special Olympics started Healthy Athletes. This program offers health check-ups to athletes who need them.

Healthy Athletes offers screenings in eight areas:

• Fit Feet (for foot health)
• FUNfitness (physical therapy)
• Health Promotion (for general well-being)
• Healthy Hearing (for ears)
• MedFest (sports physical exam)
• Opening Eyes (for vision)
• Special Smiles (for teeth)
• 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 and strength. Then, a physical therapist gives tips to improve fitness.

Healthy Athletes is now the biggest global health group for people with intellectual disabilities. So far, over 1.9 million health screenings have been done worldwide.

The Special Olympics health effort has big partners. The Hear the World Foundation helped check over 1,000 athletes at the Winter Games in Korea. Over 200 of them had hearing loss.

In 2012, the Healthy Communities program started in eight countries and six U.S. states. Its goal is to improve the health of people with intellectual disabilities. This helps them reach their full potential.

See also

In Spanish: Special Olympics para niños

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