Special Olympics

Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Location	1133 19th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., U.S. 20036
Official languages	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)

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.

Diona Bell winning the gold medal in the 100-meter run at the Mississippi Special Olympics Summer Games, 2011

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.

Special Olympics Media

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is featured on the 1995 Special Olympics World Games silver dollar.
The crowd at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games Opening Ceremonies in Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017 reception Vienna, Austria

References

↑ Special Olympics Board of Directors. specialolympics.org. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
↑ Important Dates and Events (in en). Turin 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
↑ WSLS.com Staff. Blacksburg native to carry the ‘Flame of Hope’ for 2015 Special Olympics World Games (30 June 2015)WSLS-10. Retrieved 30 June 2015.

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[1] Special Olympics Board of Directors. specialolympics.org. Retrieved July 16, 2018.

[2] Important Dates and Events (in en). Turin 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-12.

[3] WSLS.com Staff. Blacksburg native to carry the ‘Flame of Hope’ for 2015 Special Olympics World Games (30 June 2015)WSLS-10. Retrieved 30 June 2015.

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