In the News

As we come to the end of Autism Awareness Month, we want to join with self-advocates and friends and family members around the world in celebrating the gifts of people with autism. We have been reminded again and again that people with autism can and will continue to be wonderful children, brothers and sisters, and members of families. They can and will continue to go to school, be great friends, join teams, and contribute to their communities. People with autism can and will continue to date, hold jobs, marry, and pay taxes.

Follow along as Wang Chang provides a look into his life as he prepares for the Global Youth Leadership Summit.

Special Olympics is paying tribute to the legacy of Pope Francis.

Puerto Rico is set to host Special Olympics’ first-ever Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup in the historically rich capital city of San Juan from 5 through 7 December 2025. The event will bring together 200 athletes and Unified partners from 39 countries to compete in basketball. Read, watch, and listen to the media already coming in about the inaugural event:

Gabriela Velásquez and Amy Ramírez, two youth leaders from El Salvador, signed up to help shape a summit. In the end it shaped them, too. Since 2023 when they were selected to be part of the Special Olympics Global Youth Leadership Council (GYLC), they grew not only as individuals, but as global advocates for inclusion.

Dylan Brown shares her journey from volunteering at Special Olympics, to interning at their headquarters, emphasizing the profound impact of inclusion and early intervention for children with intellectual disabilities.

First country in the region joins Special Olympics Global Coalition for Inclusion, to progress the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through education and sports.

Energy, Hope and Unity Come Together in the Logo for the First Ever Special Olympics Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup

At every Special Olympics World Games, something remarkable happens—a global gathering of young leaders, with and without intellectual disabilities, who come together not just to share their hopes and ideas, but to lead.

Karini Viranna, features writer and producer based in Berlin, had her first insight into Special Olympics at our recent World Winter Games. Here, she reflects on that exhilarating journey which brought her back to her childhood in an inclusive school—and left her wanting more!

Special Olympics hosts Global Coalition for Inclusion event at Global Disability Summit in Berlin

Nine year old Dmitri Vӓrno has seen marked improvements in his social development and his understanding of healthy eating through the Special Olympics Inclusive Healthy Lifestyle Groups..