Mission

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

You may have thought that Special Olympics was just a few days of games once or twice a year- in reality, the training for competition never stops and is as important as the competition itself. Special Olympics is a lifetime of learning through sport and involves individuals with a learning disability of all ages and ability levels – from low monitor abilities to highly-skilled athletes.

The Special Olympics movement was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F Kennedy, who believed that the Olympic ideals of sport could give confidence and new hop to people with learning disabilities as well as to those who cared for them. Special Olympics now reach over 2.5 million athletes in 160 countries worldwide.

Mrs Eunice Kennedy Shriver is still actively involved in Special Olympics but more recently her son, Timothy P Shriver Ph.D has taken on the role of Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics based out of the organisation’s head office in Washington.

Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) was established in 1978 as part of Special Olympics Inc. SOGB is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Since our formation, we have grown steadily to reach our present position where we have more than 130 groups in England, Scotland and Wales offering more than twenty sports in our training and competition programme.

We presently offer to more than 8000 children and adults with a learning disability and will work to expand opportunities to reach a further 10,000 individuals by 2010.

To provide quality sports training 48 weeks in each year – to encourage fitness, commitment and discipline through sport.
To provide as many Special Olympics athletes with the opportunity to participate, train and compete in as wide a variety of sports and events as possible.
To provide quality Coaching.
To help athletes develop social skills and build friendships through the interaction and team spirit of their sports training and competition.
To provide athletes with the experience of new cultures when travelling board.
To encourage athletes to compete and participate rather than have an emphasis on winning.
To promote the inclusion of people with a learning disability in mainstream sport.

FACT: There are an estimated 1.2 million children and adults with a learning disability in Great Britain.