Revealing the Champion In All of Us

Special Olympics Connecticut provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities for close to 10,000 athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and Special Olympics Unified Sports® partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities who are the athletes’ teammates). Special Olympics is about inspiring inclusion for people of all abilities through sport and revealing the champion in all of us.

Our Champions

There are opportunities for everyone to be part of Special Olympics Connecticut and enjoy a meaningful and rewarding experience — as an athlete, Unified Sports partner, coach, volunteer, supporter or fan. Take a look at the champions of Special Olympics Connecticut by the numbers.

Two females wearing glasses smiling together. One is wearing a yellow tank top and the other is wearing a blue t-shirt.

6,438

Athletes

Females smiling together. Two of them are wearing sunglasses.

9,875

Participants

Athletes wearing blue shirts and red medals standing together smiling outside with their coaches.

1,395

Coaches

Male and female athletes playing corn hole on a grass lawn.

3,437

Unified Sports Partners

Athletes and coaches wearing winter coats standing outside together in the snow.

5,000

Volunteers

Eunice Kennedy Shriver (founder of Special Olympics) smiling sitting next to Beau (President of SOCT).

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Special Olympics in 1968 with the passionate conviction that people with intellectual disabilities of all ages could participate in and benefit from competitive sports. Shriver believed that, through sports, these individuals could experience how liberating it is to train and to learn, to realize their potential and to be a winner.
 
She was confident that the lessons learned through sports would translate into new competence and success in school, in the workplace and in the community. Above all, she wanted the families and neighbors of people with intellectual disabilities to see what these athletes could accomplish and to celebrate their victories.

Have Questions About Special Olympics?

Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.