Basketball

Youth Empowered, Leaders Inspired is a storytelling series that highlights the journeys of individuals who got their start with Special Olympics at a young age—and never looked back.

Brothers Rolandas and Rimvydas Kriauzliai, aged 24 years old, were part of the winning Lithuanian team at the recent FIBA Open in Mies, Switzerland for the third time in a row. Here, they discuss how their team clinched victory against Italy in a thrilling final, their 17-year journey with Special Olympics and the magic of competing at the FIBA Open!

This World Refugee Day, we’re celebrating the remarkable story of Olubunmi and her family—originally from Nigeria and now living in Madrid, Spain—who have used the power of sport, dance and music to bring health, healing and enduring hope into their lives.

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.

History in the making! The Inaugural Special Olympics Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup will tip off in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 5 – 7th, 2025! This game-changing event, in partnership with FIBA, Special Olympics Latin America, and Special Olympics Puerto Rico, will showcase the power of inclusion on the court.

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

[San Juan, Puerto Rico - 10 April 2025] Special Olympics International (SOI) announced today that San Juan, Puerto Rico, will be the host site for the very first Special Olympics Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup, marking the first time in the 56-year history of the global sporting movement that a Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup will take place.

With Special Olympics, everything is possible. Skiing on snow in Coral Springs, Florida, is not one of those things.

At 9am on a sunny Saturday morning in June, Special Olympics (SO) Kenya coaches and athletes begin gathering at the Nairobi University sports grounds in the heart of the capital city.

When Raja Dalis couldn't find the resources she wanted as the parent of a child with an intellectual disability, she created them, finding a new community along the way.