About SOPA

Special Olympics is a life-changing movement of people helping people. The athletes of Special Olympics -- more than 18,000 strong here in Pennsylvania -- are constant reminders of all that is right with the human spirit.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

All training and competition opportunities are provided free of charge to the athletes and their families, enabling everyone to experience the benefits of Special Olympics that extend well beyond the playing field.

Philosophy and Goals

Special Olympics may have best been described by Sargent Shriver, Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics Inc., when he wrote that Special Olympics is unique and important because of the ways in which Special Olympics inspires and reveals the very best in human nature. "It has become," he wrote, "one of the most encouraging and profound developments in modern sports."

What makes Special Olympics so special? Some of its founding principles may be the most appropriate way to shed some light on why this movement has thrived and caught the attention and ardent support of thousands of people.

The goal of this movement is twofold: (1) to bring intellectual disabilities out of the darkness and into the light of public acceptance and understanding, and (2) to give all persons with an intellectual disability the opportunity to become useful and productive citizens who are accepted and respected in their communities.

The spirit of Special Olympics -- skill, courage, sharing, and joy -- incorporates universal values that transcend all boundaries of geography, nationality, political philosophy, gender, age, race, or religion.

Special Olympics is truly amateur in that no money changes hands. There are no training fees or entrance fees to any of our events; the coaches, referees, starters, and timers all work for free. Our athletes and their families pay no money for any of the services that Special Olympics provides.

Special Olympics ensures that at every awards ceremony, in addition to the traditional medals for first, second, and third places, athletes finishing from fourth to last are presented a suitable ribbon with appropriate ceremony.

To the greatest extent possible, Special Olympics activities are run by local volunteers from school age to senior citizens in order to create greater opportunities for public understanding of and interaction with people with intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics believes that competition among those of equal ability is the best way to test athletes' skills and ensure that every athlete has a chance to succeed.