Special Olympics: Games, Rules, Events Information

Author: Disabled World (DW)
Updated/Revised Date: 2025/03/18
Category Topic: Special Olympics (Publications Database)

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Subtopics

Synopsis: Information regarding Special Olympics games and sports for persons with a disability. The Special Olympics are the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 4.4 million athletes in 170 countries.

Introduction

The Special Olympics are the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 4.4 million athletes in 170 countries. Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world including local, national and regional competitions, adding up to more than 70,000 events a year. Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving the nearly 200 million people with intellectual disabilities. Among their other activities, Special Olympics conducts the Special Olympics World Games every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games.

Focus

The Special Olympics, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, is composed of passionate, committed individuals from every walk of life, who recognize the value and unique gifts of people with intellectual disabilities, who together, share the common belief of dignity, equality, and opportunity for all people.

More than 2.5 million athletes of all ages are involved in Special Olympics sports training and competition in more than 180 countries. The Special Olympics is often the only place where children and adults with intellectual disabilities have an opportunity to participate in their communities and develop belief in themselves.

The organization offers year-round training and competition in 30 Olympic-type summer and winter sports. There are more than 72 Programs in Special Olympics North America. Special Olympics North America has 544,581 athletes participating in all 30 sports offered by Special Olympics.

The first International Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago in 1968. Anne McGlone Burke, a physical education teacher with the Chicago Park District, began with the idea for a one-time Olympic-style athletic competition for people with special needs. Burke then approached Eunice Kennedy Shriver, head of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, to fund the event. Shriver encouraged Burke to expand on the idea, and the JPK Foundation provided a grant of $25,000. More than 1,000 athletes from across the United States and Canada participated.

The first International Special Olympics Winter Games were held in February 1977 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA. In 1988, the Special Olympics was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Special Olympic Games Dates

• 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games: Boise, Idaho, USA.
• 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games: Athens, Greece.
• 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games: PyeongChang, South Korea.
• 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games: Los Angeles, USA.
• 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games: Graz and Schladming, Austria
• 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games: Åre and Östersund, Jämtland County, Sweden.
• 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games: Berlin, Germany.
• 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games: Turin, Italy.
• 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games: Santiago, Chile.
• 2029 Special Olympics World Winter Games: Chur-Graubünden, Switzerland.

Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) is the major provider of sporting opportunities for people with a learning disability and provides equality of opportunity for all athletes regardless of ability or degree of disability. International Board members include President of Iceland Olafur Grimmson; Olympic Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci; pop singer and actress Vanessa Williams; Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent; and First Lady of Panama Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos.

Types of Special Olympics Sports:

Special Olympics has more than 32 Olympic-type individual and team sports that provide meaningful training and competition opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. A few are listed below:

Special Olympics Sports List