Special Olympics, created in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is
a global movement 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 more than 1.3 million
children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round
training and competition in 26 Olympic-type summer and winter
sports. In addition to its sports programming, Special Olympics
offers related initiatives, such as Healthy Athletes®, which
provides a variety of health services through clinics conducted
in welcoming environments at Special Olympics competitions.
There is no charge to participate in Special Olympics. Special
Olympics publishes a quarterly magazine, assorted newsletters,
brochures, an Annual Report, a set of fact sheets on its
programs, and reports such as the Multinational Study of
Attitude toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Some
materials are available in other languag