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We are helping to make the world a better, healthier and more joyful place—one athlete, one volunteer, one family member at a time.
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About

Contact

Find the names, titles, email address and other information for leaders at Special Olympics.
Community Impact

Lighting the Way Series, Part 1: Spotlighting Global Family Leadership on International Day of Families

Two photos of two families placed side by side in a collage. The photo on the left shows a mother and her son standing outside, and the photo on the right shows a brother and a sister sitting on a couch together.
This International Day of Families, Special Olympics is celebrating the parents, siblings, and caregivers who are the heartbeat of the Special Olympics movement.
Sport Partnerships

Euroleague One Team

One Team, Euroleague Basketball's corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities. With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities. Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse, gender equality, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has reached already directly and indirectly more than 25,000 participants, involved 76 EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs and 342 Ambassadors through its various projects.
Athletes

Beating the Odds: Meet Karen

Young woman with a horse.
One of Team Australia’s youngest athletes, 16-year-old Karen Messmer has overcome much adversity already.
Special Olympics Europe Eurasia

Tȕrkiye

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Special Olympics is a global organization that serves athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year. Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing, but the unmet need to reach more people with intellectual disabilities is staggering.

It’s at the local level—right here—where interested volunteers meet the athletes. That’s where the perceptions start to change and where the miracle of transformation takes place.

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.

Download the Special Olympics Tȕrkiye Fact Sheet.
Programs

North Dakota

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Special Olympics is a global organization that serves athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year. Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing, but the unmet need to reach more people with intellectual disabilities is staggering.

It’s at the local level—right here—where interested volunteers meet the athletes. That’s where the perceptions start to change and where the miracle of transformation takes place.

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.

Download the Special Olympics North Dakota Fact Sheet.
Programs

North Carolina

Two athletes giving one another a high 5.
Special Olympics is a global organization that serves athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year. Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing, but the unmet need to reach more people with intellectual disabilities is staggering.

It’s at the local level—right here—where interested volunteers meet the athletes. That’s where the perceptions start to change and where the miracle of transformation takes place.

Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.

Download the Special Olympics North Carolina Fact Sheet
Programs

New York

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Special Olympics New York athletes are truly the greatest athletes in the world. Sure, they all want to win, but our athletes know something that many other athletes do not. Winning is not everything—competing and giving the best effort—this is what makes an athlete great.

Our mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of skills and friendship with their families, fellow athletes and the community.

Special Olympics New York currently serves more than 45,000 throughout the state. They train for weeks and months to prepare for local, regional and statewide competition. They are supported by more than 5,000 coaches and 4,300 volunteers. Athletes are never charged to participate in our programs.

Download the Special Olympics New York Fact Sheet
In the News

Open Ceremony Lights Up City of Light

People celebrating with their hands up and waving.
6 July 2026 - Inclusion shined brighter tonight in the City of Light as the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026 officially marked the start of the tournament.
Community Impact

Special Olympics Becomes Extended Family for Father-Daughter Duo

By RJ Nealon, December 31, 2021
A Special Olympics athlete and Unified partner pose for a photo.
Each athlete coached and each teammate of Rylie’s becomes a part of the Halls’ extended family. That’s the way it’s always been.
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