Special Olympics announced Louis Lauria as its new Global Chief of Games and Competitions in February 2017. Lauria, who began working at Special Olympics in November, has previously served in a variety of key leadership positions in international sports business and has had a career that has spanned more than two decades.
In his new role, he will be responsible for the administration and management of the Special Olympics World and Regional Games, the flagship events of the movement. He will split his time between the Special Olympics global headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia.
“We are thrilled to have Lou join our senior leadership team,” shared Mary Davis, Special Olympics CEO. “As we continue to improve the quality of our Sports and Games initiatives in support of our global strategic plan, Lou’s extensive expertise in sports event planning and management is a perfect and critical fit for our organization. As we head into the final month of planning for our 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria and begin planning for our recently announced 2019 Games in Abu Dhabi, Lou’s leadership skills will be invaluable to ensuring these multi-sport events are a success.”
Prior to joining Special Olympics Mr. Lauria worked within the Olympic and Paralympic movement for over 20 years, including roles within the Organizing Committees for the Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Salt Late 2002 Games in Sport, Venue Management and Paralympic Integration. He then worked for the International Paralympic Committee in Games Planning before taking a role with the IOC within the Television and Marketing Services area.
Most recently, Mr. Lauria was Vice President of Helios Partners, a boutique international sports agency which consulted on bid cities, sponsors, sports federations, and properties. While at Helios, Mr. Lauria worked across a broad range of projects including the bids for PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also worked with the Sochi 2014 and Kazan 2013 Organizing Committees, and with multiple Olympic sponsors including; Dow, Lloyds TSB, Deloitte, and Sainsbury. His also led federation consulting on projects with FISU and FIAS.
Mr. Lauria holds a degree in Mass Communications from Emerson College and studied Sport Management at Temple University.
He serves the community on several boards including the: Emerson College Alumni Board, USA Weightlifting Board, and the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence Board.
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968, and celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 5 million athletes and Unified partners in more than 170 countries. With the support of more than 1 million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and over 108,000 games and competitions throughout the year. Special Olympics is supported by individuals, foundations and partners, including the Christmas Records Trust, the Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics, The Coca-Cola Company, United Airlines, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN, Microsoft, Lions Clubs International, Bank of America, Essilor Vision Foundation, the Golisano Foundation, Safilo Group, and TOYOTA. Click here for a full list of partners. Engage with us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and our blog on Medium.
Contact
Christy Weir
Special Olympics Inc.
+1 202 824 0307
cweir@specialolympics.org