Special Olympics Athlete Participation Report 1.2 million and growing!  In 2000, Special Olympics made a bold commitment to reach 2 million athletes by the end of 2005, placing a renewed focus on building the movement's infrastructure and establishing tools to facilitate growth. But commitment to growth is not enough. Special Olympics also committed to measuring performance to validate success. An initial census of athlete participation conducted in 2000 established a baseline count of athletes worldwide. At the end of 2002, the first annual incremental count was conducted. The 2002 Special Olympics Athlete Participation Report is the first "report card" of progress toward the goal of reaching 2 million athletes. Results The movement is growing. Since 2000, the Special Olympics movement has grown by 22 percent, increasing its athlete count by 220,682 for a total of 1,206,655 athletes in 2002. One hundred percent of Special Olympics Programs reported athlete counts in 2002, compared to 74 percent in 2000. To achieve the 2005 goal, Special Olympics must recruit and train at least 793,345 athletes in the next two and a half years. Here are some highlights from the report: 70 percent of the Programs grew in athlete participation. Special Olympics China increased the most, experiencing 136 percent growth, adding 103,402 athletes for a total of 179,510 athletes. Special Olympics Ireland, home of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, increased by 1,092 athletes, or 21 percent, for a total of 6,189 athletes. Special Olympics North Carolina became the largest U.S. Program, with a 2002 athlete count of 32,037. The 2002 census also collected athlete data to gain an understanding of athlete demographics, choice of sport and experience in Special Olympics initiatives such as Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) and Special Olympics Unified Sports®. There is a two-to-one ratio of males to females and a higher prevalence of school-age athletes who are under 22 years of age. Athletics is Special Olympics' most popular sport. Rounding out the top five sports, in order of popularity, were bowling, basketball, football (soccer) and aquatics. The total number of athletes involved in ALPs is 7,058 and the total number of athletes involved in Special Olympics Unified Sports is 32,855. Successful Approaches to Growth Based on analysis of results and other qualitative input, key approaches are integral to driving growth in Programs. These approaches, discussed in greater detail in the report, are: Local Program development Targeting sport-specific development Leveraging the infrastructure that supports those with intellectual disabilities Recruiting and developing strong, dynamic leadership Direct investment coupled with focused staff support; and High-profile awareness raising events. Opportunities The balance of the report examines how Special Olympics can improve its global reach, deliver programmatic solutions that drive growth and change people's attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disabilities throughout the world. Developing and implementing programmatic solutions that foster Program growth is a key function of the movement. 2 Million Athletes by 2005 With two and a half years left to reach 2 million athletes, it is critical to leverage the insight of this "mid-term report" and refine growth plans throughout the movement. The report will serve as a catalyst for the entire movement - affecting plans and strategies for future growth. Portions of the report are available as an Adobe PDF document (288K). If you are interested in finding out more about the Athlete Participation Report, e-mail organizationaldevelopment@specialolympics.org. If you are with a Special Olympics Program, please contact your regional office.    Growth Results and 2005 Targets Special Olympics Region 2000 2002 % Growth 2000 to 2002 2005 Goal 2002-2005 Gap Africa 4,000 20,688 417% 36,300 15,612 Asia Pacific 49,444 72,083 46% 175,700 103,617 East Asia 83,479 190,085 128% 545,750 355,665 Europe/Eurasia 217,770 303,925 40% 334,000 30,075 Latin America 110,302 101,884 - 8% 195,800 93,916 Middle East/North Africa 20,428 30,128 47% 106,473 76,345 North America 500,550 487,862 - 3% 639,000 151,138 Worldwide 985,973 1,206,665 22% 2,033,023 826,368 Note: 2000 data shown above includes approximately 10,000 - 13,000 Unified Sports® Partners. The greatest increase occurred in East Asia, with a gain of 106,606 athletes. North America declined, with a net loss of 12,688 athletes. The region closest to reaching its 2005 goal is Europe/Eurasia. It requires approximately 30,000 more athletes to reach its target of 334,000 athletes. Top Five Sports The top five sports across the movement remained relatively consistent from 2000 to 2002. Seventy-five percent of all athletes participate in one of the top five sports. Athletics remained the most popular sport movement-wide.