The Special Olympics Rhode Island program is one of the world’s most dynamic, providing over 1,400 year-round sports training and athletic competitions for more than 2,700 athletes and hosting over 40 local, regional, and statewide tournaments and competitions each year in 25 official and demonstration sports.
Special Olympics Rhode Island’s innovative programs also include the Unified Sports Program for athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, the Motor Activities Training Program ... view more »
The Special Olympics Rhode Island program is one of the world’s most dynamic, providing over 1,400 year-round sports training and athletic competitions for more than 2,700 athletes and hosting over 40 local, regional, and statewide tournaments and competitions each year in 25 official and demonstration sports.
Special Olympics Rhode Island’s innovative programs also include the Unified Sports Program for athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, the Motor Activities Training Program for athletes with profound disabilities, Young Athletes Program, Healthy Athletes Program and the Global Messenger Program for athletes who serve as spokespeople for Special Olympics.
In 1968, Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Special Olympics based on her conviction that competitive sports could provide a gateway to empowerment, acceptance, and joy for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. She believed that the lessons of training, setting and striving toward goals, and testing one’s skills would translate into greater success in school, the workplace, and the community. Above all, she believed that the athletes had the power to create a better world, transforming the lives of all those who witnessed their achievements and rejoiced in their victories.
Today, Special Olympics is the world’s largest program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. More than 3.5 million Special Olympics athletes in the United States and in 170 countries take part in year-round training and competition in 30 individual and team sports. They are trained, coached, and cheered on by over half a million volunteers worldwide, who support every aspect of Special Olympics.
Since the first Special Olympics Torch was lit on July 20, 1968 at Soldier Field in Chicago, “The Flame of Hope” has continued to burn in the hearts of millions of athletes all over the world, whose families and communities have been inspired by the courage, character, dedication, and achievements of children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
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