Special Olympics
You are the stars and the world is watching you. By your presence you send a message to every village, every city, every nation. A message of hope. A message of victory. The right to play on any playing field? You have earned it - Eunice Kennedy Shriver
image by: Lisa Audic
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Special Olympics Takes On the World
Bravery is a core word in the Special Olympics movement, embedded in its athletes’ oath, which concludes: “If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Brave these athletes have to be, to rise in societies that tear them down.
The competition, started in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, has grown into a global movement, an informal tribe whose membership — those with autism, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, fragile X syndrome and other conditions — transcends all boundaries. Whatever country or class they are born into, people with intellectual disabilities are frequently humiliated, abused and ignored.
A member of the Botswana delegation told me that children…
Resources
Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Olympic Legacy
In short, Eunice came into her own with the Special Olympics. It is not grandiose to speak of her as articulating a distinctive vision of the role of athletics in the lives of MR children, because she had the wisdom and maturity to formulate such a vision...
See Photos From the First Special Olympics
The first Special Olympics hosted 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada. In the years that followed, the event achieved greater recognition from the Olympic Committee and from athletes and advocates around the world, and it expanded to include winter events as well.
Special Olympics and the Burden of Happiness
Special Olympics is a utopian organization, and to encounter it is to enter a well-constructed bubble of acceptance and equality.
The Differences Between The Olympics, Paralympics And Special Olympics
The Paralympics and Special Olympics differ in three key ways...
Special Olympics Takes On the World
Bravery is a core word in the Special Olympics movement, embedded in its athletes’ oath, which concludes: “If I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Brave these athletes have to be, to rise in societies that tear them down. The competition, started in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, has grown into a global movement, an informal tribe whose membership — those with autism, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, fragile X syndrome and other conditions — transcends all boundaries. Whatever country or class they are born into, people with intellectual disabilities are frequently humiliated, abused and ignored.
5 Inspiring Athletes Who Will Get You Excited for the Special Olympics
Today, the Special Olympics provides competitions to over 4.4 million athletes across the globe, and hosts the Summer World Games every two years.
9 Things You Should Know About Special Olympics
Here are nine things you should know about the world’s largest sports organization for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability. We are helping to make the world a better, healthier and more joyful place—one athlete, one volunteer, one family member at a time.
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