Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization* dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition. Special Olympics offers children and adults with intellectual

Special Olympics currently serves 2.5 million people with intellectual disabilities in more than 200 Programs in 165 countries. Those numbers are the result of an overwhelmingly successful Campaign for Growth that began in 2000. That year, Special Olympics made a bold commitment to reach 2 million athletes by the end of 2005, while simultaneously changing attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities around the world. Over the course of those five years, in addition to providing more than 1 million more athletes the opportunity to experience the joy of sport, Special Olympics transformed itself.
<Read The Heart of Growth, an article by Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver on the success of The Campaign for Special Olympics ?>

Today, Special Olympics stands as a leader in the field of intellectual disability. It is a truly global movement, with more than 500,000 athletes in China, more than 210,000 in India, almost 550,000 in the United States, more than 600 in Afghanistan and 4,400 athletes in Rwanda. Special Olympics World Games were held in Ireland in 2003 and Japan in 2005 and, in 2007, China will host the World Summer Games. Most importantly, Special Olympics sharpened the focus on its mission as not just "nice," but critical, not just as a sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities, but also as an effective catalyst for social change.

Children and adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics develop improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence and a more positive self-image. They grow mentally, socially and spiritually and, through their activities, exhibit boundless courage and enthusiasm, enjoy the rewards of friendship and ultimately discover not only new abilities and talents but "their voices" as well.

To get involved, contact your local Special Olympics Program. To locate a Program near you, use our Program Locator.

The Mission of Special Olympics

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sportsW training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities*, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The Vision of Special Olympics

• Special Olympics empowers people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential and develop their skills through year-round sports training and competition.
• As a result, Special Olympics athletes become fulfilled and productive members of their families and the communities in which they live.
• Special Olympics is an experience that is energizing, healthy, skillful, welcoming and joyful.

Today, Special Olympics stands as a leader in the field of intellectual disability and has sharpened the focus on its mission as not just "nice," but critical, not just as a sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities, but also as an effective catalyst for social change. Children and adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics exhibit boundless courage and enthusiasm, enjoy the rewards of friendship and ultimately discover not only new abilities and talents but "their voices" as well.

To get involved, contact your local Special Olympics Program. To locate a Program near you, use our Program Locator.

* Intellectual disabilities is synonymous with mental retardation; please see the Special Olympics Language Guide for more information.

What is Special Olympics?

Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives by promoting understanding, acceptance and inclusion between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Through year-round sports training and athletic competition and other related programming for more than 2.5 million children and adults with intellectual disabilities in more than 165 countries, Special Olympics has created a model community that celebrates people's diverse gifts. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship.?

How many people does Special Olympics serve?
Special Olympics serves more than 2.5 million persons with intellectual disabilities in more than 200 Programs in more than 165 countries.

What is the Special Olympics Athlete Oath?
"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." [For more information, see the Athlete Oath section of this Web site.]

What is Special Olympics' mission?
To provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. [For more information, see the Mission and Vision section of this Web site.]

What impact does Special Olympics have on athletes?
Children and adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics develop improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence and a more positive self-image. They grow mentally, socially and spiritually and, through their activities, exhibit boundless courage and enthusiasm, enjoy the rewards of friendship and ultimately discover not only new abilities and talents but "their voices" as well.

Who leads Special Olympics?
Timothy Shriver serves as Chairman of the Board. [For more information, see the Leaders section of this Web site.]

Special Olympics guides local, area, state/provincial and national Programs around the world. A volunteer Board of Directors determines international policies and is composed of business and sport leaders, professional athletes, educators and experts in?intellectual disability?from around the world.

Who is eligible to participate in Special Olympics?
To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, you must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specially designed instruction. The Special Olympics Young Athletes? program was created for children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7. For more information on this topic, see the Eligibility section of this Web site.

Can individuals with profound disabilities participate in Special Olympics?
Yes, through Special Olympics Motor Activities Training Program (MATP), developed by physical educators, physical therapists and recreation therapists. MATP emphasizes training and participation rather than competition.

When are Special Olympics World Games held?
The Special Olympics World Summer Games are held every four years; the 2003 World Summer Games were held in Dublin, Ireland, on 20-29 June; the 2007 World Summer Games will be held in Shanghai, China. The Special Olympics World Winter Games also are held every four years; the 2005 World Winter Games were held in Nagano, Japan, on 26 February-5 March. The 2009 World Winter Games will be held in Boise, Idaho (USA), on 6-13 February. The first Special Olympics World Games was held in Chicago, Illinois USA, in 1968. [See this synopsis of all World Games held by Special Olympics.]

Are there differences between Special Olympics and Paralympics?
Yes, Special Olympics and the Paralympics are two separate and distinct organizations with specific eligibility requirements.

From Backyard Camp to Global Movement:
The Beginnings of Special Olympics

The global Special Olympics movement got its start on 20 July 1968, when the First International Special Olympics Games were held at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA. But the concept of Special Olympics was born much earlier, when Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a day camp for people with intellectual disabilities at her home in 1962.

Welcome to Camp Shriver

Shriver believed that people with intellectual disabilities were far more capable than commonly believed and deserving of the same opportunities and experiences as others. So, in June 1962, she invited 35 boys and girls with intellectual disabilities to Camp Shriver, a day camp at Timberlawn, her home in Rockville, Maryland, to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.

Even before Camp Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shriver already had a long-standing commitment to people with intellectual disabilities. She was instrumental in focusing the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation on improving the way society deals with its citizens with intellectual disabilities, and helping identify and disseminate ways to prevent the causes of intellectual disabilities. Shriver is Executive Vice President of the Foundation, which was established in 1946 by her father and mother, Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, to honor their eldest son who was killed in World War II.

Using Camp Shriver as an example, Shriver promoted the concept of involvement in?physical activity and competition opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Camp Shriver became an annual event, and the Kennedy Foundation gave grants to universities, recreation departments and community centers. In 1963, the Foundation supported 11 similar camps around the United States. By 1969, the Foundation supported 32 camps across the country that served 10,000 children with intellectual disabilities. The movement grew beyond the Kennedy Foundation, and between 1963 and 1968, more than 300 camps similar to Camp Shriver were started.

Let the Games Begin

In the early 1960s, Dr. William Freeberg, then Chairman of the Recreation and Outdoor Education Department at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois, USA, worked with the Kennedy Foundation to develop one-week workshops for recreation directors across the country. The workshops focused on the principles that everyone, including people with disabilities, benefits from recreation, and everyone has talents and gifts to share with others. In 1965, 10 recreation teachers from the Chicago (Illinois) Park District attended one of Freeberg's workshops on a grant from the Foundation. One of those teachers was Anne Burke.

By 1967, the Chicago Park District wanted to do more for people with intellectual disabilities and Burke joined a team to assess the needs and how to address them. She proposed holding a citywide track meet modeled after the Olympics to raise awareness of the program. Freeberg, who had joined the team as a consultant, suggested they develop a proposal to submit to Shriver at the Kennedy Foundation.

Shriver immediately saw the potential of the idea and asked Burke to expand its scope to include more sports and athletes from across the United States. Shriver sent Kennedy Foundation staff to Chicago to work with Burke and the Chicago Park District to start planning, and announced that the Kennedy Foundation would provide a grant to underwrite the event. On 20 July 1968, Shriver opened the Chicago Special Olympics (the First International Special Olympics Games), which were held in Chicago's Soldier Field, with 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada competing in athletics, floor hockey and aquatics.

"The Chicago Special Olympics prove a very fundamental fact," Shriver said in her Opening Ceremonies address, "the fact that exceptional children — children with mental retardation — can be exceptional athletes, the fact that through sports they can realize their potential for growth." Shriver also announced a new national program — Special Olympics — to offer people with intellectual disabilities everywhere "the chance to play, the chance to compete and the chance to grow."

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who attended the First International Special Olympics Games that day, said to Shriver, "You know, Eunice, the world will never be the same after this."

Special Olympics today is a global movement with?2.5 million athletes in 165 countries around the world. Follow its growth from 1962 to today in Special Olympics Milestones.