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In the News

4,000 Special Olympics South Africa Athletes Receive Internship Opportunities

A group of people pose for a picture
The goal is to address the challenge of unemployment in South Africa through grant funding and forming relationships with public, private, and civil society organizations on projects that will significantly contribute to job creation.
In the News

Highlights to Headlines

Special Olympic athlete hosts panel discussion.
RJ Nealon's journey with Special Olympics began with a letter. At just 10 years old, he reached out to the CEO of Special Olympics, eager to get involved. Now, RJ is working for Special Olympics athletes to find their voice.
In the News

More Than a Game

Young male presenter standing in front of their presentation projected on the wall behind him.
Shane Yan Wen Yu has learned that football is more than just a game, it’s a source of identity, purpose, and growth.
In the News

Defending Champions Set for Division 1 Finals Showdown in Paris

14 team members pose in two lines in front of the Unified Cup banner.
The women’s Special Olympics Guatemala team and the men’s Special Olympics Jamaica squad look to capture the championship titles for the second time in a row.
In the News

Athlete Leaders Don't Just Share Their Stories. They Are Trained to Lead.

A person sat on a stool speaking into a microphone
When Special Olympics athlete leaders Matthew Fong from Special Olympics Macau and Ron Szeto from Special Olympics Hong Kong stood before more than 300 employees representing six companies in Hong Kong, they weren't there simply to share their personal stories.
Community Impact

One in Four Athletes at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi are in Need of Prescription Eyeglasses

Mohammed Mubarak receives an eye screening at Opening Eyes; his face is being pressed against a machine by a volunteer and his eye is being examined and photographed by a machine.
Special Olympics World Games 2019 in Abu Dhabi brought together 7,500 athletes and unified partners to compete at their highest ability and break down barriers to full inclusion.
Press Releases

Special Olympics Receives Prestigious Empress Theophano Prize

Dr. Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics International
Awarded each year to honour an exceptional contribution to human betterment, the coveted prize will be presented to Dr. Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, at a Ceremony on 23 October in the 2000 year-old Rotunda of Thessaloniki, Greece
Programs

Southern California

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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 Southern California Fact Sheet.
European Union Funded Projects

Special Olympics Operation Safeguard

Special Olympics Operation Safeguard is funded through EU Erasmus+ programme and will support the implementation of safeguarding across the SOEE region. While most safeguarding policies focus on children and youth, it is essential to protect vulnerable adults with intellectual disability (ID) also and this project will focus on correcting this. The other partners in the project are Special Olympics Ireland, Special Olympics Slovakia, Special Olympics Estonia, Special Olympics Cyprus, Special Olympics Belgium and the Centre for Sports and Human Rights (CSHR) - https://www.sporthumanrights.org/. CSHR are a key partner in this project as they have a wealth of experience in developing safeguarding policies and procedures
Youth & Schools

Unified Schools

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Unified Schools give educators, students, administrators and coaches the power to create a more inclusive world and help end the stigma around intellectual disabilities.
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