Athletes
Athletes are the heart of Special Olympics. Our athletes are children and adults with intellectual disabilities from all around the world—5.6 million and counting! They are finding success, joy and friendship as part of our global community. They're also having lots of fun!
Special Olympics Tennis Player Lily Mills selected for Australian Open Persons with Intellectual Impairment Championships
Three-time Special Olympics (SO) World Games gold medalist, Lily Mills, has been selected as a wildcard for the Australian Open Persons with Intellectual Impairment Championships.
2 Min Read
Basketball in Iceland: From Lay Ups to Lifelong Friendships That Turned into Family
In a small country with a population of less than 400,000 people, there is a family with 32 children. They hang out together, hold pizza parties, chat, laugh, but most of all, they play basketball.
4 Min Read
Special Olympics British Columbia Athlete Making Difference Within Community
David Johnston has many talents when it comes to playing sports. An athlete in several disciplines, Johnston, starting in 1988, competed in alpine skiing, five-pin bowling, snowshoeing, and many more; however, he says five-pin bowling and powerlifting are his “special sports.” “I got involved with Special Olympics when I was in school and I was put down all my life,” Johnston says about his start. “So, I found out about Special Olympics and how they accepted people and how we get the opportunity to compete.”
3 Min Read
Special Olympics Addresses the Issue of Tobacco Use and its Impact on People with Disabilities on The GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT
Special Olympics aims to provide inclusive strategies with National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) that address challenges faced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live smokefree and choose health.
2 Min Read
Kayleigh Williamson Completes the 2023 New York City Marathon
Among the racers was Special Olympics Texas runner Kayleigh Williamson who made history as one of the first women with Down syndrome to complete the NYC Marathon (10:09:11).
1 Min Read
Rose Pleskow Holds a Meaningful Role with Special Olympics Partner Brightspot
When Pleskow is not swimming in the Potomac River alongside her mom or running on the track, she can be found within the walls of Brightspot—a software development company just outside the nation’s capital in Reston, Virginia.
3 Min Read
Nyasha Derera Celebrates the 2023 World Games in Berlin
The 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin made me feel at home, welcomed, loved, and embraced.
1 Min Read
Father-Son Duo Shines at Special Olympics North America Tennis and Pickleball Championship
Sports have always been a powerful force for bringing people together, and Special Olympics Unified Sports® is no exception.
2 Min Read
Special Olympics Missouri Athlete to Pursue PGA Tour Membership Card
Thomas Cleek has been playing golf for as long as he can remember. The pairing—Cleek and golfing—was just one of those things that was meant to be.
2 Min Read
From Unknown to Top of the Podium: Detroit’s Rising Champions
Just a few miles down the road from their Detroit homes, history was made for a group of students from the Drew Transition Center.
2 Min Read
Special Olympics Oklahoma Fighting Peacocks Playing for Something Larger
It is an overcast sky in the middle of September as the leaves break away from the trees, signaling the changing of seasons.
4 Min Read
Special Olympics North America Championship Wraps up Day Two of Softball Competition
On a crisp and chilly Saturday morning at Peaks View Park in Lynchburg, Virginia, Special Olympics softball teams from across the United States and Canada joined together for the 2023 Special Olympics North America Softball Championship. Teams, both traditional and Unified, started in a round-robin format.
2 Min Read
