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There are 6,147 results that match your search. There are 6,147 results that match your search.
In the News

Special Olympics Celebrates the Legacy of Dr. Frank Hayden

Man with his arm around an athlete showing support as she shows off her medal hanging around her neck.
The Special Olympics community is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Frank Hayden, a pioneering figure whose contributions to the world of sports and disability advocacy have had a profound impact on generations of athletes and families. Dr. Hayden passed away at the age of 96, leaving a legacy that has transformed countless lives. 
Community Impact

Special Olympics USA Games Starts to See Medal Count Grow Midweek

By RJ Nealon, June 25, 2026
A medal podium stands in front of a large Special Olympics USA Games Minnesota 2026 backdrop at the University of Minnesota swimming venue. The colorful display features the Games logo and graphics.
It’s mid-week at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, and the competition has been fierce. It’s hot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but that’s not a concern for athletes who are representing the 52 Programs across the country. They are giving everything they’ve got to compete at the national level.
Programs

Alabama

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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 Alabama FactSheet

Lesson 4: Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Core values, Lower Level

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Maria Shriver
Learn about Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s core values and how it shaped the Special Olympics mission.

Lesson 6: Becoming a Changemaker like Eunice Kennedy Shriver

A young girl and young woman with Eunice.
Learn how certain social skills can help you become a change maker like Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Read through the questions and think about each question or talk about them in a group.

Athlete Leadership

Text reads: Showing the Way; image is an illustration of three people.
If we want a more inclusive organization and accepting world, Special Olympics athletes must be allowed to contribute in ways beyond the sports field. One of the most powerful ways we do this is through Athlete Leadership, which creates opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to develop and demonstrate their abilities in leadership roles.
Tributes

A Letter from President Barack Obama

But above all, she will be remembered as the founder of the Special Olympics, as a champion for people with intellectual disabilities, and as an extraordinary woman who, as much as anyone, taught our nation - and our world - that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the human spirit.
Tributes

A Letter from Cardinal Roger Mahony

Eunice's founding of the Special Olympics helped our society to know that every human person is unique and special just because he or she is.
Tributes

A Letter from President Olafur Grimsson

Eunice was a great global leader, a visionary who transformed our times, gave humankind a new perspective.
In the News

Special Olympics Athlete Chris Nikic Wins Laureus Sporting Moment of the Year Award

Chris Nikic, Special Olympics Florida athlete and Champion Ambassador
Special Olympics Athlete Chris Nikic Wins Laureus Sporting Moment award.
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