Special Olympics
 | This article needs to be updated. (March 2019) |
| Founded | July 20, 1968 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Eunice Kennedy Shriver |
| Location |
|
| 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) Michelle Kwan (Treasurer)[1] |
| Website | Official website |
_in_Biloxi,_Miss._110514-F-BD983-011.jpg)
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It provides year-round training and competitions to more than 4.4 million athletes in 193 countries. Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world. This includes local, national, and regional competitions. Combined, they add up to more than 100,000 events a year.
These competitions include the Special Olympics World Games, which switch between summer and winter games. Special Olympics World Games are held every four years. The most recent World Games were the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games, held in Turin, Italy. They ran from March 8, 2025 to March 15, 2025.[2] The Flame of Hope is the symbol of the Special Olympics.[3] This torch is lit in Athens, Greece, where it begins its journey to the World Games. Many people, including athletes and law enforcement, carry the flame in a relay to the host city. The torch stays lit until the end of the Games.
The next Special Olympics World Summer Games will happen in Santiago, Chile, in 2027.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Special Olympics Board of Directors". specialolympics.org. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ↑ "Important Dates and Events". Turin 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
- ↑ WSLS.com Staff (30 June 2015). "Blacksburg native to carry the 'Flame of Hope' for 2015 Special Olympics World Games". WSLS-10. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
