Athletes

The final webinar of the 2023 Coach Webinar Series, presented by Gallagher. This webinar was all about being adaptable as a coach and keeping adult athletes engaged in a challenging environment. This webinar was hosted by football referee and Special Olympics Washington Athlete Leader, Garrett Utz. Garrett has officiated at 1 USA Games, 2 Unified Cups, and 2 World Games. Garrett also holds multiple leadership positions and is also an Athlete Advisor for the Sport and Competition team in Special Olympics International. Garrett was joined by Gallagher’s Scott Gregory who sits on the board of Special Olympics Southern California and is an active Special Olympics coach. Thomas Graham from the Newcastle United Foundation gave us an overview of the development of their walking football programme and how this could be applied to Special Olympics contexts. Ken Black, co-founder of the Inclusion Club, then presented on the STEP Model (Space, Task, Equipment, People) and how to adapt your coaching to continually challenge athletes no matter the ability level. To close out the webinar, there was a very passionate and inspiring message from Special Olympics supporter and former US Men’s National Team player and current Vice President of Sporting for US Soccer, Oguchi Onyewu.

The Special Olympics Sweden Invitational Games 2026 will be officially opened in Folkets Park, Malmö, marking the largest sporting event ever held in Sweden for people with intellectual disabilities.

Members of the new Asia Pacific Regional Athlete Leadership Council had several days of onboarding training in July 2025.

When the Special Olympics Namibia Board of Directors needed to send a delegate to a major regional conference, they chose Athlete Leader Felicity Van der Heever.

Welcome to a more inclusive Chile! 🥇🇨🇱 Welcome to the Special Olympics World Games Santiago 2027! ------------------------------------------ Bienvenidos a un Chile más inclusivo! 🥇🇨🇱 ¡Bienvenidos a los Juegos Mundiales de Olimpiadas Especiales Santiago 2027!

The world’s largest global celebration of sport and inclusion is coming to Chile, to drive a cultural transformation The first edition of the World Games to be held in Latin America in the 58-year history of Special Olympics

When the final whistle blew at the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026 the memories that stayed with many weren't just the goals, the saves, or the trophies.

Special Olympics Colorado athlete Jeremiah Daniels talks about his role in the movie Color Book streaming on Netflix.

At the Special Olympics Unified Football World Cup Paris 2026, Special Olympics coaches spent most of their time plotting against one another’s teams.

[Melville, NY (USA) – 18 August 2026] Access to quality healthcare can make a profound difference in a person’s life. Yet for many people with intellectual disabilities (ID), barriers to care remain a daily reality.