Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver, one of Eunice Kennedy Shriver's children, will accept the honor on behalf of his mother at The 25th ESPYS Presented by Capital One on Wednesday, 12 July. The show starts at 8 PM Eastern Time.
A Visionary and a Revolutionary
"My mother was a visionary, but, more importantly, a revolutionary," said Shriver on behalf of the Shriver family and Special Olympics.
"Fueled by love and anger, she used sport to break down the barriers, she used fields of play to bring people together, and she opened the doors of inclusion and equality to the most marginalized on Earth. It is now up to all of us to follow the athletes of Special Olympics who can teach us all to accept and include each other."
The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is sponsored by Cadillac. Learn more about the award.
One of the athletes who will stand with Tim Shriver is Loretta Claiborne of Pennsylvania, who won an ESPY of her own in 1996. Read her comments about the ESPY for Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Another Special Olympics athlete, David Egan of Virginia, also shared what he learned from knowing Mrs. Shriver.
Do you have a story about Mrs. Shriver, or about how her work and legacy have touched you? Please share your story.
Special Olympics Athletes Honored, Too
As part of the 25th annual ESPYS event, Special Olympics athletes around the United States are being honored with local ESPY Awards. These honorees are being recognized by the ESPYS organizers and their Programs as “amazing, inspirational athletes.” Each athlete is receiving a letter of commendation, along with an ESPYS statuette.
Read profiles of the honored athletes:
- Abel Mehari
- New York Unified Floor Hockey Team
- Thomas Shimoda
- Stephanie Ching
- Sharita Taylor
- Sebastian Joynes
- Matthew Grabowski
- Michelle Canazaro
- Paige Harris
- Virginia Wade
- Land o' Lakes Unified Soccer Team
- Kindlelon "Kobie" Respicio
- Kester Edwards
- Katy Wilson
- Justin "JJ" Jones
- Jeremy Colter
- Ian Rawn
- Jason Horton
- Dustin Plunkett
- Dalvin Keller
- Daina Shilts
- Craig Blackburn
- Brendan West
- Pam Langille
- Andy Miyares
- Tyler Lagasse
- Brittany Tagliareni