Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy, and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. In Italy, it holds the status of Meritorious Association with the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).
Special Olympics is an international program of sports training and athletic competition for young people and adults with intellectual disabilities, with no age limit. * It operates in more than 160 countries worldwide and serves more than a million participants, according to its figures. Each country hosts several days of competition annually—the Special Olympics Games themselves—in which all the country's athletes take part. These competitions represent the culmination of a year's training. Rome will host the European Games for the first time in 2006, bringing together delegations from many countries across Europe, including Eastern Europe.
See also: Special Olympics: It's More Rewarding to Volunteer Than to Lead
The official sports currently include track and field, swimming, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, bocce, basketball, soccer, equestrian competition, and alpine and cross-country skiing.
Experimental sports include tennis, table tennis, snowboarding, and snowshoe racing. Athletes also train in rowing, mountain biking, floor hockey, golf, judo, unified volleyball (training and competition with both athletes with and without intellectual disabilities), and bowling.
Training forms the foundation of Special Olympics athletes' activities. Throughout the year, they prepare for regional and national competitions under the guidance of specialized coaches.
Italy does not set predetermined participation quotas for athletes, since municipalities, regions, the national government, individual citizens, and other institutions (such as law enforcement) often support the program. Sports centers are responsible for finding financial backers for their activities. Public figures from entertainment and sports contribute concrete support and volunteer their names as ambassadors.
Part of the program includes unified sports—athletic activities, training, competitions, and tournaments where athletes with and without disabilities compete together. This is especially common in team sports like volleyball, soccer, and basketball.
Training takes place in sports centers and multipurpose facilities that have joined the Special Olympics program, present in nearly every Italian region.
Registration is open to anyone interested, regardless of age or degree of intellectual disability, and all may participate in the national Special Olympics Games (for the European Games, selection is required and the age limit is 26).
Athletes are grouped by performance level, so each competitor faces athletes with similar abilities.
The Special Olympics Athlete's Oath reads:
Let me win,
but if I cannot win,
let me be brave in the attempt
For more information, visit the official Special Olympics website
Information sheet prepared by Huberta Pott, 2005