Community Impact

Novie Craven, spoke with Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Program Officer, Panos Vazaios, and Special Olympics Chief Global Government Relations Officer, Shawn Ferguson.

Mohammed bin Abul Aziz was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder four years ago, and today his condition is ever-evolving due to his father’s continual efforts to encourage him to go through regular health assessments and be a part of Special Olympics Oman.

Special Olympics was present at the launch of the FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) Volleyball Foundation in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 May.

Afghan refugee living in Spain shares how the ‘Unified with Refugees’ sports platform helped him integrate into his new community

‘Unified with Refugees’ platform provides Ukrainian refugee with integration opportunities in Slovakia via sports

In Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, there’s a heartwarming story about a young boy with Down syndrome who, with his father’s support, became a champion.

“I am Saif Bin Sumaida, a retired senior engineer from ADNOC Gas. God blessed me with four sons and two daughters. We discovered that one of our sons, Ali, had autism at four years old and he struggled a lot with his speech growing up. We enrolled him in speech therapy sessions at the New England Center to help him work on this.

In Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China, there’s a heartwarming story about a young boy with Down syndrome who, with his father’s support, became a champion.

Stevens Initiative and Special Olympics have joined forces to expand cross-cultural learning experiences for young people worldwide. Leveraging the Stevens Initiative's expertise in virtual exchange and Special Olympics' global network, this partnership aims to empower young leaders, with and without intellectual disabilities, to drive the inclusion movement in the digital age.

German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and Special Olympics Germany launch coach training courses in Africa.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms and mom-figures around the world of the athletes, coaches, volunteers, staff and supporters of the Special Olympics movement. Today, we recognize and thank you for all your hard work.Neena Garg is the mother of Muskan, an athlete from Special Olympics India. Neena faced isolation when family and community members turned their backs on her for loving and supporting Muskan. She fought to find a way for them to build community and confidence. Their efforts led Muskan all the way to Abu Dhabi where she competed as a powerlifter at the 2019 World Games.

Inclusivity took center stage in Seville, Spain on 25 April 2024, as Special Olympics Andalucía football players and refugees from the local Refugee Reception Center came together for an exhibition match.