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Special Olympics
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Special Olympics is an international organization created to help people with intellectual disabilities develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment. Among their other activities, Special Olympics conducts the Special Olympics World Games every four years.
The Special Olympics was founded in 1968 in Chicago by Anne McGlone Burke, a physical education teacher with the Chicago Park District, with the support of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy. Burke began with the idea for what was originally supposed to be a one-time Olympic-style athletic competition for kids with special needs. Burke then approached Shriver to fund the event. The Kennedy Foundation granted $25,000, and Shriver gathered 1,000 athletes from across the country to participate. Shriver’s sister, the late Rosemary Kennedy, had an intellectual disability due to a lobotomy, and is often credited as her inspiration to help grow the Special Olympics.
In June 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver had started a day camp, known as Camp Shriver, for children with intellectual disabilities at her home in Potomac, Maryland. Using Camp Shriver as an example, Shriver promoted the concept of involvement in physical activity and competition opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Camp Shriver became an annual event, and the Kennedy Foundation (of which Shriver was Executive Vice President) gave grants to universities, recreation departments and community centers to hold similar camps.
In 1968, the Foundation supported the Chicago Park District in holding the Olympic-style competition, which was the first International Special Olympics Games. At those Games, Shriver announced the formation of Special Olympics. The first International Special Olympics Winter Games were held in February 1977 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA.
In 1988, the Special Olympics was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is the only sports organization authorized by the IOC to use the name Olympics in its title.
On October 30, 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law the "Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act," Public Law 108-406. The bill authorized funding for its Healthy Athletes, Education, and Worldwide Expansion programs. Co-sponsored by Representatives Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Harry Reid (D-NV), the bills were passed by unanimous consent in both chambers.
In July 2006, the first Special Olympics USA National Games were held at Iowa State University. Teams from all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated.
ParticipationMore than 2.5 million athletes of all ages are involved in Special Olympics sports training and competition in more than 180 countries . The organization offers year-round training and competition in 30 Olympic-type summer and winter sports. Events are geared to accommodate a variety of levels of ability so that athletes can compete with others who have similar capabilities. The largest student run Special Olympics state game is held every year at Villanova Univeresity.
The Special Olympics Oath is "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
Popular cultureIntellectual disability, like other disabilities, are a popular subject matter for simple off-color jokes, circulated through the media or by word of mouth. The disability is frequently referenced by mentioning the Special Olympics.
- In 2002, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp honoring the Special Olympics.
- The 2005 film The Ringer, about a man who pretends to be intellectually disabled in order to cheat at the Special Olympics, was made with the approval of Special Olympics.
See also
External links-
- Internet video coverage of the 2007 Special Olympics games.
- Special Olympics Unofficial Website
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