Have fun and build skills and self-esteem, all while participating in year-round sports training and competition. Whatever your age or skill level, with 30 sports to choose from, Special Olympics has something for every athlete.

Special Olympics athletes are the heart of our movement. With over 30 Olympic-type sports, there is something for everyone. You can find a Special Olympics training or competition happening 365 days in more than 180 countries. Whatever your skill level and whatever your motivation for participating and competing, there is opportunity to excel and have fun.

Abdel-Rahman Hassan, age 10, is one example of a Special Olympics athlete who was transformed by his experience. A swimmer from Saudi Arabia, he is partially paralyzed – but at the 2007 Summer World Games in China, Abdel-Rahman won gold medals in 25- and 50-meter races. His talent did not come naturally or easily; his father says it took him a month to hold his breath underwater for three seconds, and a year to swim a distance of one meter. Today, he is a champion.

Florence Nabayinda of Uganda, Ephraim Mohlokane of South Africa, and Rita Lawlor of Ireland are also Special Olympics athletes. They come from different countries and faced different challenges in life. The one thing they all had in common before Special Olympics was that they were underestimated in their communities.

Today, they run, play football, compete in gymnastics and coach other Special Olympics athletes. They work and play alongside people without intellectual disabilities. They speak out to journalists, schools and civic groups about the remarkable changes Special Olympics helped bring about in their lives. They are valued leaders within the Special Olympics movement and valued members of their own communities outside of it. Their lives are fuller and more enriched thanks to Special Olympics.

Some Special Olympics athletes have physical challenges like Abdel-Rahman. Others, like Billy Quick from North Carolina, USA, compete alongside the world’s best athletes and run marathons. Though ability level varies, everyone is welcome, and all grow, building athletic skills and character traits that help both on and off the field of competition. Confidence, self-esteem, teamwork are just some of the benefits of involvement in sports. For many athletes, Special Olympics is a path to empowerment, competence, acceptance, joy and friendship.

Contact your local Special Olympics to become athlete.