Brief History
Special Olympics Began ... in 1968 when Eunice Kennedy Shriver organized the First International Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The concept was born in the early 1960s when Mrs. Shriver started a day camp for people with mental retardation. She saw that people with mental retardation were far more capable in sports and physical activities than many experts thought. Since 1968, millions of children and adults with mental retardation have participated in Special Olympics.
In The United States ... Special Olympics Chapters are established in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. About 25,000 communities in the United States have Special Olympics programs.
Through the Special Olympics Model School District programs, public school districts include Special Olympics in their physical education curriculum and provide extracurricular and interscholastic sports to elementary and secondary students with mental retardation. The Special Olympics Mega-Cities program coordinates Special Olympics training and competition in schools, community recreation programs, group homes, and institutions in 11 large metropolitan areas.
Around The World ... there are accredited Special Olympics programs in nearly 150 countries. Special Olympics programs are continually being developed around the world.
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