Special Olympics

We are Special Olympics, a global movement that believes in the power of sports to change lives. Our purpose is to celebrate the amazing abilities and talents of people with intellectual disabilities. Our story began with one person who saw that everyone deserves a chance to play, to compete, and to be celebrated for who they are. That person was our founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. She was deeply inspired by her sister, Rosemary, who had an intellectual disability. Eunice saw her sister’s unique skills and talents and believed that people like Rosemary deserved the same opportunities as everyone else. She knew that through sports, people could discover their own strength, courage, and joy.

This belief led to a groundbreaking event. On a warm summer day, July 20th, 1968, we held the very first International Special Olympics Games. This historic event took place in the city of Chicago, Illinois. It was a new beginning, a chance for athletes with intellectual disabilities to shine on a big stage. The core idea behind these first games was simple but powerful: we believe that sports can bring joy to participants and help them build confidence that lasts a lifetime. Competing and trying your best is a victory in itself, and that day in Chicago proved that our athletes were ready to show the world what they could do.

From that single event in Chicago, we began to grow. What started as one competition soon became a worldwide organization. Today, we are active in over 170 countries around the globe, with programs and events happening all year round. Millions of athletes have joined us, all sharing in the spirit of competition and friendship. To guide them, we created a special promise that every athlete says before competing. It’s called the Special Olympics Athlete Oath, and it reminds us what truly matters. The oath says: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” This powerful message means that trying your best and showing courage is just as important as finishing in first place.

As we grew, people sometimes became curious about how we are different from other sports organizations. It’s important to understand that while we are a large, global movement, we are different from the Paralympics. The Paralympics is a wonderful organization that holds competitions for athletes with physical disabilities. Our focus, however, has always been on athletes with intellectual disabilities. This specific focus allows us to create sports training and competition environments that are perfectly suited for our athletes, helping them succeed and feel supported every step of the way. Both organizations celebrate incredible athletes, but we serve different communities of competitors.

Our work has always been about more than just what happens on the playing field. While sports competitions are at the heart of what we do, our mission goes much further. We realized that our athletes needed support in other areas of their lives, too. This led us to create important health programs. Through these programs, we provide free health screenings for our athletes, helping them stay healthy and strong so they can continue to compete and enjoy their lives. We check things like their vision, hearing, and overall fitness, making sure they get the care they need.

We also believe that our athletes have powerful voices and important ideas to share. That's why we developed programs that train athletes to become leaders and confident public speakers. Our athletes learn how to share their stories, advocate for themselves, and become leaders in their communities. They speak at events, serve on committees, and inspire others with their courage and determination. All of this work—the sports, the health screenings, and the leadership training—is part of our current mission. Our goal is to create a more inclusive and welcoming world for everyone. We work to break down barriers and change attitudes, showing people everywhere that everyone has gifts to share, both on and off the playing field.