Games

From June 20 – 26, the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will bring nearly 3,000 athletes and 1,500 coaches from all 50 states to Minneapolis to compete across 16 Olympic-type team and individual sports. ESPN will provide 48 hours of live competition coverage on ESPN+ through the ESPN App, featuring events including athletics, swimming, powerlifting and flag football, along with ABC preview and review programming.

Eleven Projects that Could Change Special Olympics from the Ground Up

Athlete leaders attending the 2026 SONA Regional Athlete Congress explain why they are done merely talking; they are ready to get to work.

For more than two decades, UEFA and Special Olympics have worked together to ensure football is a game where everyone belongs, on and off the pitch.

For one week in June, Special Olympics athletes from across the United States will gather in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. While the athletes will get most of the spotlight, and rightfully so, for their athletic achievements, there’s another distinct group of indivdiuals with intellectual disabilities coming to the USA Games.

Annual Europe Eurasia initiative returns for its 26th edition, strengthening collaboration through football and expanding inclusion across communities

Special Olympics European Football Week 2026 is finally here! In its 26th edition, #EFW celebrates the power of partnerships and how open collaboration with our partners helps us expand and improve our football offer throughout Europe and Eurasia. This year, over 300 events are to take place in 40 countries across our region: celebrate #EFW2026 with us!

Only a handful of Special Olympics athletes have had the opportunity to meet the founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Even fewer athletes had the opportunity to compete in her backyard the year before Special Olympics even began. Luckily, for Tim Gowen, he was able to do both.

Stefanie Curtis had a different path to Special Olympics. Growing up in Berlin, Germany, there was no local programming for Special Olympics, so she found other ways to stay active as an adolescent.