Special Olympics World Games offer a world stage to showcase the Special Olympics movement and to celebrate the abilities and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities.  In doing so, they foster a new global vision of acceptance.

More than 100 countries are represented every two years at Special Olympics World Games.   Athletes are able to compete against and build friendships with other athletes from countries across the globe.  For more than a week these athletes come together to support a greater good.  Special Olympics World Games are of similar scope and scale as Olympic Games.  Most people do not know that Special Olympics World Games attract a comparable number of athletes and countries, if not more, than the Olympic Games.

Following the Olympic ideals, Special Olympics World Games are abundant in tradition.  All World Games feature Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a Torch Run public awareness event prior to the Games, cultural activities, and world-class sports competition.

World Games offers everyone a chance to get involved.  Whether as a volunteer, host town family, athlete escort, community event organizer, or even as a fan in the stands – you can be a part of Special Olympics World Games and help our athlete’s dreams come true! 

The 2013 World Winter Games in South Korea

The 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in South Korea from January 26 - February 6, 2013.  For more information, visit www.2013sopoc.org/hb/en.  The 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games will attract more than 2,500 athletes from 105 nations to compete in seven Olympic-type sports.

2013 World Winter Games SOPA Athlete Allocations and Application Procedures:

Special Olympics Pennsylvania recently received our 2013 World Winter Games quota allocations from Team USA.  We received - 1 Male Category 3 (Advanced) Alpine Skier, 1 Female Category 2 (Intermediate) Alpine Skier, 1 Male Category 2 (Intermediate) Cross Country Skier and 1 Female Level 3 Short Track Speed Skater (competes in 111m, 333m, 500m with an average lap time between 25 and 29 seconds).  We requested from Team USA, but did not receive quota for 1 Female Level 2 Figure Skater, 1 Male Category 2 Snowshoe athlete and 1 Floor Hockey team.  We did request the opportunity for additional quota should any become available and will notify programs if any is made available to us. 

Team USA received, from the 2013 World Winter Games Organizing Committee, 152 athlete allocations with 32 of those being for 2 Floor Hockey teams meaning there were only 120 spots for the six other Winter Games sports (Figure Skating, Snowshoeing, Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding, Cross Country Skiing and Speed Skating) or an average of 20 per sport.  Forty-four states requested quota from Team USA.  When distributing quota among the states, Team USA takes into consideration the total quota allotment received from the GOC, the quota requests submitted by each state, the total quota requested for each sport, and the number of athletes training in each sport in each state.   They also work to ensure that as many states as possible have the opportunity to send athletes to the World Games.

Download the SOPA 2013 World Winter Games Athlete Application.  Athletes competing in the sports and at or above the categories or levels at which we were awarded quota in their chosen sport may complete and submit their application for inclusion in the random draw.  Applications will be due to Shane Kiesner, Senior Sports Director by Friday, February 17.  The draw will be held on Tuesday, February 21 with a representative of a local program present to observe and assist in the drawing.  At this time we do not know how many coach opportunities there will be with Team USA so we are not currently posting the coach application.  Once we know how many coach positions there are in each sport we will send that information out to the programs along with the application and post it here.

If you have any questions about the athlete application process or our quota allocations for the 2013 World Winter Games, please contact Shane Kiesner at 724-375-7515 ext. 241 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles 

The world’s largest sports and humanitarian event is coming to the world’s capital for media and entertainment. The Special Olympics International Board of Directors announced today that Los Angeles, California will be the host site for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. 
 

In less than four years, Los Angeles will welcome more than 7000 Special Olympics athletes from 170 nations to compete in 21 Olympic-type sports.  The Special Olympics World Summer Games will return to the United States after 16 years, having last been held in the United States in 1999 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The most recent World Summer Games were the 2011 Games that recently concluded in July in Athens, Greece. The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games are expected to bring more than a half-million people to the greater Los Angeles area and will be held in summer 2015 (specific dates still to be announced).

Read the 2015 Games Fact Sheet