Special Olympics Founded
Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the Special Olympics to provide sports training for people with intellectual disabilities
July 20, 1968
A Revolution in Inclusion
The Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who held the first Special Olympics Games on July 20, 1968, at Soldier Field in Chicago. Over 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada competed in track and field and aquatics events. Shriver had long championed people with intellectual disabilities, inspired in part by her sister Rosemary Kennedy. She believed that with proper training and opportunity, people with intellectual disabilities could achieve far more than society expected. The 1968 games proved her right and launched a global movement.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Vision
Shriver had been running a summer sports camp for children with intellectual disabilities at her Maryland home since 1962. She was frustrated by the way society excluded and underestimated people with intellectual disabilities. Her goal was not just sports competition but transformation — changing how the world saw people with disabilities, and how those individuals saw themselves. The Special Olympics motto, "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt," captured the spirit of the movement. The organization received official recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 1988, giving it full status as an Olympic movement.
A Worldwide Movement Today
Today the Special Olympics serves more than 6 million athletes in over 190 countries, offering competition in more than 30 sports. The World Games, held every two years alternating between summer and winter editions, attract thousands of athletes and draw global attention. Beyond competition, the organization runs health programs, education initiatives, and advocacy campaigns. The Special Olympics changed the conversation around disability — from exclusion and pity toward inclusion, respect, and recognition of human potential. It remains one of the most impactful sports and social movements in modern history.