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.
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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 -
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) -
Zhou Xun
Actress, Singer & Philanthropic Environmentalist -
Zou Shiming
Olympic Champion, Boxing -
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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.
