Gleyber Torres

Global Ambassador

Gleyber Torres was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He started playing baseball at the age of four and is now the superstar shortstop for the New York Yankees. Torres made his MLB debut on April 22, 2018 and is the third player in Yankees history with two All-Star games before turning 23, following legends Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. With 62 home runs, he has more home runs than any middle infielder in MLB history through the first two seasons of play.

Outside of baseball, Torres is passionate about fashion, music, gaming, traveling with his wife Elizabeth, and giving back to the community. Torres, who is one of the young faces of Major League Baseball and a fan favorite, was the 2019 Thurman Munson Award winner for his outstanding volunteer efforts in the New York community. Torres is very excited to start supporting the Special Olympics movement, especially given his ability to support inclusion for those with intellectual disabilities in New York, Florida (his home in the off season) and Latin America, particularly Venezuela.

Global Ambassadors

Andre Drummond NBA All-Star & Rebound Champion, Chicago Bulls
Apolo Anton Ohno Olympic Champion, Short Track Speedskating
Avril Lavigne Musician & Philanthropist
Robert "Bob" Beamon Olympic Champion, Long Jump
Brooklyn Decker Roddick Actress & Model
Charles Melton Actor
Dale Moss Former NFL Player, Model, Actor & Media Personality
Damian Lillard NBA All Star, Portland Trailblazers
Devin Booker NBA All-Star, Phoenix Suns
Didier Drogba Legendary Professional Football (Soccer) Player
Eddie Barbanell Actor & Comedian
Elena Delle Donne WNBA Player, Washington Mystics
Erika Ender Singer / Songwriter, TV Celebrity, Producer & Actress
Gleyber Torres 2x MLB All-Star, New York Yankees Shortstop
Hannah Teter Olympic Champion, Snow Boarding
Hidetoshi Nakata Legendary Professional Football (Soccer) Player
Hussein Fahmy Egyptian Actor
Ibtihaj Muhammad Olympic Champion, Fencing
In-Kyung Kim Professional Golfer
Jamaal Charles Former NFL Player & All Pro Runningback
Joe Haden Former NFL Player & All Pro Defensive Back
John C. McGinley Actor & Advocate
Julen Lopetegui Legendary Soccer Goaltender & current Manager of FC Sevilla
Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt New York Times Bestselling Author | Actor, Producer
Ladlena Fetisova and Viacheslav Fetisov Gymnast & Actress | Olympic Champion, Ice Hockey & Legendary Soviet Ice Hockey Player & Former NHL Player
Lauren Potter Actor & Advocate
Li Na Former Professional Tennis Player, WTA
Maureen McCormick Actor, Singer, New York Times Best-Selling Author
Michael Phelps Olympic Champion, Swimming
Michelle Kwan Olympic Figure Skater
Nadia Comaneci Olympic Champion, Gymnastics
Nicole Scherzinger International Recording Artist & Television Personality
Padraig Harrington Professional Golfer
Paul Wight Six-Time WWE World Champion
Ricky Rubio NBA Player, Cleveland Cavaliers
Sam Perkins Olympic Champion, Basketball & NBA Legend
Seun Adigun Summer & Winter Olympian, Hurdles & Bobsledding
Vanessa Williams Singer & Broadway Performer
Vladimir 'Vanja' Grbic Olympic Champion, Volleyball
Willson Contreras 2x MLB All-Star, St. Louis Cardinals Catcher
Yang Lan Founding Chairperson, Sun Culture Media Group and Sun Culture Foundation; Journalist; Philanthropist
Yang Yang Olympic Champion, Speed Skating
Yao Ming NBA All Star & Chairman of the International Basketball Federation Asia (FIBA)
Yuna Kim Olympic Champion, Figure Skating
Zhou Xun Actress, Singer & Philanthropic Environmentalist
Zou Shiming Olympic Champion, Boxing
View All As icons of success from diverse industries such as sports, music, entertainment, media, and beyond, Special Olympics Global and Champion Ambassadors generously lend their time, talent, and resources to support the Special Olympics mission. They are inspirational role models who share a belief in the power to come together, break down barriers, and foster a world of inclusion while supporting Special Olympics’ expansion of sports, health, youth, and education programs.